The Veteran's depression is service connected as secondary to his service-connected back and lower extremity disabilities. His tinnitus, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, asthma, and hypertension are not service connected.
The deciding factor: Service connection for depression was granted based on the opinion that it is caused by his service-connected back and lower extremity disabilities. Tinnitus, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, asthma, and hypertension were not shown to be related to service or service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Depression, Tinnitus, Sleep Apnea, High Cholesterol, Asthma, Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- September 2, 2015
- Citation
- 1537496
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 1537496.
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 Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient findings regarding PTSD and depression, requiring a new VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
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