The Board finds that the Veteran's major depressive disorder is not secondary to his service-connected left knee condition, it was not present in service and it is not related to service.
The deciding factor: The January 2007 VA examiner concluded that he was unable to determine if the Veteran's depression is due to his left knee condition or due to his cocaine use. The Board finds this opinion speculative and notes that other medical evidence suggests a head injury as the cause of the Veteran's depressive disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2009
- Citation
- 0910525
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a disability rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, effective October 24, 2017. The Board also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability due to the need for a more comprehensive medical examination and opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder prior to September 10, 2022, and in excess of 70 percent thereafter.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the award of a 100 percent rating for PTSD and major depressive disorder, an earlier effective date for TDIU due to service-connected conditions, and a compensable rating for hypertension. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and coronary artery disease were remanded.
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