The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, adjustment disorder, anxiety disorder, and alcohol use disorder. The VA examiners concluded that the Veteran's personality disorder was not related to his service and that any diagnosed conditions were part of his personality disorder.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that the Veteran's personality disorder was a developmental defect and did not meet the criteria for an acquired psychiatric condition due to service, as personality disorders are considered defects rather than diseases or injuries under VA regulations. The examiner also concluded that any diagnosed conditions such as depression and anxiety were part of his personality disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, adjustment disorder, anxiety disorder, alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20081050
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a liver condition, finding it to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claims for service connection for various acquired psychiatric disorders.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including back pain, knee and wrist joint pains, neck pain, anxiety, depression, as further development is needed to properly adjudicate these claims.
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