The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no causal relationship between his current condition and his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined it was less likely than not that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder was incurred in or attributable to his military service due to lack of records showing mental health symptoms in service and a long history of drug abuse after service.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, mood disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21039946
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 21039946.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress and alcohol abuse, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to active service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected mood disorder is rated at 70 percent, and the Board denied a higher rating. The Veteran also sought TDIU based on his mood disorder and anxiety, which was granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's disability picture, primarily due to Parkinson's disease and related manifestations, does not meet the criteria for SMC at the statutory housebound level as his other disabilities do not yield a combined rating of 60 percent.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for asthma and a mood disorder, as well as TDIU benefits, have been dismissed due to the Veteran's passing during the appeal process.
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