My secondary claim was denied for being "Pre-Existing"

What these denials mean:

The VA is acknowledging your mental disorder diagnosis but is claiming it existed before your service-connected (SC) disability and was not worsened beyond its natural progression by your SC disability.

When this happens, the burden of proof to demonstrate this aggravation falls on you, the Veteran.

You can still qualify for service-connection if:

Your mental disorder became significantly worse than would typically be expected due to your service-connected disability.

We need to present evidence that your mental disorder was aggravated by your SC disability, with adequate evidence and medical reasoning connecting the two conditions.

How to establish this connection:

1. Medical Literature Review - You'll need to provide information about your SC disability and rating, records relevant to your mental disorder, and any records that could potentially connect these disabilities. I would conduct a review to determine if medical evidence supports a connection between your conditions.
2. Records Review - I would conduct a Records Review, so I can review to determine the level of impairment before potential aggravation by your SC disability and to assess for evidence regarding aggravation as a result of your SC disability.
3. Independent Medical Examination (IME) - We would determine your current level of impairment.
4. Nexus Letter - [Based on the comparison of impairment levels, I can write a nexus letter to support your claim if the evidence supports aggravation]