The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression has been granted, and an effective date of March 10, 2005 is established. The Veteran is now rated at 100% for depression from October 4, 2006, with SMC at the housebound rate effective October 4, 2006.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's depression was found to be total social and occupational impairment as of October 4, 2006, warranting a 100% rating. The effective date is set based on the earliest date his claim can be considered filed (March 10, 2005).
- Claimed conditions
- Headaches, Hypertension, Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), Stress fractures of the tibias, Bilateral quadriceps disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- September 17, 2013
- Citation
- 1329763
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 1329763.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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