The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae and his current psychiatric condition. The Board also found inconsistencies in the Veteran's statements regarding when his mental health issues began.
The deciding factor: The most competent medical evidence does not support a causal relationship between the Veteran’s service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae and his acquired psychiatric condition, which was first manifested years after separation from active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 12, 2021
- Citation
- 21021241
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 21021241.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition and tinnitus, but dismissed the claim of stomach condition (to include acid reflux, heartburn, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)) due to withdrawal by the Veteran. The claims of migraine headaches and sleep apnea are remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric condition is related to active service and the claim for this condition is granted. The bladder condition claim is remanded as a VA examination is needed.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was denied in an April 2022 rating decision. The effective date of the TDIU award is November 29, 2023.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection due to lack of active-duty service and because the appellant did not achieve veteran status. The psychiatric condition claim was withdrawn, and the spinal injury claim is denied.
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