The veteran's major depression is found to be secondary to his service-connected hearing loss and cervical spine disabilities. He was granted a compensable rating for his cervical strain effective June 28, 2003.
The deciding factor: Major depression has been determined to be related to the veteran's service-connected hearing loss and cervical spine disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depression, Bilateral High Frequency Hearing Loss, Cervical Strain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 26, 2006
- Citation
- 0615384
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,440 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0615384.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's PTSD rating was reduced from 70 percent to 50 percent, effective February 20, 2025. The Board finds the reduction improper and restores the 70 percent disability rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected major depression and anxiety disorder are considered part of his service-connected peripheral neuropathy, which already qualifies him for SMC(l). Therefore, he is not eligible for a higher rate of SMC.
- Denied
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, is rated at 70 percent. The Board denied an initial evaluation in excess of 70 percent.
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