The Board has granted an effective date of April 30, 2001 for service connection for Major Depression associated with Degenerative Disc Disease of the Lumbar Spine. The Veteran's claim was received on December 20, 1991 and entitlement arose on February 12, 2000.
The deciding factor: The effective date is assigned based on the earliest date that it is ascertainable that the Veteran's depression was related to his low back disorder - i.e., February 12, 2000. The award of service connection for Major Depression as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability predicated a grant of service connection for the lumbar spine disability on April 30, 2001.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depression, Degenerative Disc Disease of the Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2010
- Citation
- 1027085
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 1027085.
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 an initial evaluation of 70 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, anxiety disorder, and major depression.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on a corroborated in-service stressor event.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder due to a lack of new and relevant evidence, and remanded the claim for an increased rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 20, 2007 for the grant of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and increased ratings to 70% from March 27, 2020 to June 5, 2020, and 100% from June 5, 2020. The claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability 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.