The Veteran's surviving spouse has been granted an earlier effective date of February 7, 1985 for the award of service connection for major depressive disorder for accrued benefits purposes.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had a pending claim for service connection for a chronic psychiatric disorder that was denied in April 1985. The appellant's timely submission of a notice of disagreement and receipt of the VA's decision on this matter made her claim pending at the time of his death, leading to an earlier effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2014
- Citation
- 1442625
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 1442625.
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 Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a 70 percent disability rating for his psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with MDD and anxiety, has been granted. However, the issue of entitlement to Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) is remanded due to procedural issues.
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