The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for major depression, secondary to his service-connected low back disability. The initial rating of 40 percent is maintained.
The deciding factor: The VA medical evidence supports a finding that the veteran's major depression is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected degenerative disc disease with slight lumbar scoliosis and spondylosis at L4-L5 and L5-S1.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease with slight lumbar scoliosis and spondylosis at L4-L5 and L5-S1 with limitation of motion, major depression
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- June 4, 2004
- Citation
- 0414363
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 0414363.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for major depression, personality disorder, and severe anxiety due to an inadequate VA examination and opinion.
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The Board remands the claims for service connection for tonic-clonic seizures or grand mal epilepsy, left and right carpal tunnel syndrome, back/spinal cord injury, and major depression due to pre-decisional errors in the duty to assist.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the Veteran's request to readjudicate his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as major depression and schizophrenia, due to new evidence being submitted after the prior final denial.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right shoulder disability (recurrent dislocation), insomnia, major depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, it granted restoration of a 10 percent rating for gastroesophageal reflux disease, lumbosacral strain, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome.
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