The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychological condition, to include anxiety and schizophrenia, as they are drug-induced and unrelated to active-duty service.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence of record associates the Veteran's cannabis use with the later development of his psychological conditions, and those conditions did not have their onset in service but many years after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety, schizophrenia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2025
- Citation
- 25006741
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression and anxiety, based on the evidence showing that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's condition began in service.
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