The Board found that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability. The veteran's depression was also found to be proximately due to or the result of his service-connected foot disabilities, leading to service connection for this condition as secondary to his service-connected cold weather injury.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that new evidence had been submitted which supported reopening the claim for service connection for a back disability. The veteran's depression was found to be related to his service-connected foot disabilities and thus secondary to his service-connected cold weather injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disability, Psychiatric disorder (depression)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- July 17, 2003
- Citation
- 0316222
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 0316222.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors and the need for a VA examination.
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