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Board of Veterans' Appeals · Legacy series

Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as anxiety and depression) is granted.

January 30, 2026Citation Nr. 26001448Docket 08-32 673va.gov source

  • service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorderGranted
DecisionAnalysis

Board reasoning

The Board resolves reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, finding an approximate balance between evidence of in-service incurrence and nexus to current disability. The record shows an August 1973 STR with anxiety and subsequent psychiatric treatment dating back to the 1990s, undermining the adequacy of some medical opinions. After addressing remand deficiencies but concluding the evidence is in equipoise on elements two and three, the Board grants direct service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

Issues

  • service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorderGranted

Authorities

  • Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268remand directives and need for compliance were discussed
  • Reonal v. Brown, 5 Vet. App. 458an opinion based on inaccurate factual premises lacks probative value
  • Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303when VA undertakes examination, it must be adequate

Extracted with gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07. Citations are kept only when they appear in the decision text.