The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities and her Substantive Appeal. The veteran was granted a 70% disability rating for major depression, but not before November 21, 1996.
The deciding factor: The RO received the initial claim for service connection for depression on November 21, 1996, which is when the effective date for this condition was established. The veteran's other disabilities did not meet the criteria for a TDIU prior to that date.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, mechanical low back pain, degenerative arthritis (shoulders), peptic ulcer disease with esophageal spasm, bilateral pes planus, valgus with traumatic arthritis of talocalcaneal, talonavicular and calcaneal cuboid joints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- January 27, 2000
- Citation
- 0002042
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 0002042.
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 has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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