The Board has determined that the veteran's major depressive disorder was aggravated by his service, and he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities. His current combined disability evaluation of 80% renders him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The November 2007 VA examiner concluded that the veteran's active duty service aggravated his pre-existing major depressive disorder, which is sufficient for service connection on the basis of aggravation. His combined disability rating of 80% also supports a finding of unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- mixed personality disorder with a history of alcohol abuse, major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- October 1, 2008
- Citation
- 0833819
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 0833819.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, should be remanded due to a failure to verify a stressor related to the death of his two best friends in Iraq. The AOJ needs to develop this stressor.
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