The VA has granted a disability rating of 30 percent for the veteran's depressive neurosis, which results in definite impairment in social and occupational functioning.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the veteran's depressive disorder results in definite impairment in his ability to establish or maintain effective relationships with people and perform occupational tasks.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Neurosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2003
- Citation
- 0304997
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,710 · Granted: 15% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0304997.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for depressive neurosis, finding that his symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent prior to February 28, 2018, and in excess of 50 percent thereafter.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection, TDIU, and DEA benefits due to the Veteran's psychiatric disability. The effective date of service connection was set at August 6, 2008.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have been rated at the highest possible level (100%) for the entire appeal period, from November 24, 1981 to June 15, 2003.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's PTSD and depressive neurosis are already service-connected, but his skull fracture and scarring from a gunshot wound are not rated higher than the current 10 percent. The skull fracture does not meet criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 5296, while the scarring is evaluated at 10 percent based on one characteristic of disfigurement.
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