The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder on a direct basis was denied. The Board also remanded the claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder secondary to his service-connected disability and for difficulty swallowing, both of which are related to his laryngeal condition.,Service connection will be considered for the Veteran's psychiatric disorder if it is determined that he had a pre-existing psychiatric disorder prior to entering military service. The Board found clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's psychiatric disorder did not exist before service entry, thus rebutting the presumption of soundness.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the presumption of soundness, which requires clear and unmistakable evidence that a pre-existing condition existed prior to service. The Board found such evidence for the Veteran's psychiatric disorder.,For the secondary service connection claims, further medical examination is needed as the current VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale in their opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Psychiatric disorder, Difficulty swallowing
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 7, 2023
- Citation
- 23049245
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 23049245.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for psychiatric disorder, right shoulder condition, and right knee condition due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction due to insufficient evidence or further clarification.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination and opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current psychiatric condition, including PTSD, and service. The Veteran is also not entitled to a rating or effective date as this matter is being remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity is granted as service connected. The left knee disability and psychiatric disorder are remanded for further development.
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