The Board has granted service connection for a depressive disorder as secondary to the veteran's service-connected low back pain syndrome. The veteran was also awarded a compensable disability rating of 20 percent for her right knee disorder, effective April 21, 1995.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is competent medical evidence linking the veteran's depressive disorder to her service-connected low back pain syndrome and granted service connection accordingly.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, chondromalacia patella of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 19, 2004
- Citation
- 0407297
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 0407297.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as depressive disorder, effective May 1, 2017.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased rating for depressive disorder and remanded the claims for a higher rating for headache syndrome and TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for further development, including verification of an in-service stressor and obtaining additional medical opinions.
- Partly granted
The Veteran is granted service connection for migraine headaches secondary to tinnitus, effective April 1, 2021. The claim for an earlier effective date for depressive disorder was denied.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.