The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of February 13, 2009, when she sought to associate her major depressive disorder with her service-connected migraine headaches. The Court vacated and remanded this decision, but the Board found that no earlier effective date could be granted as there was no evidence prior to February 2009 showing a connection between the Veteran's major depressive disorder and her service-connected migraine headaches.
The deciding factor: The March 2015 VA examiner concluded that it is less likely than not that the Veteran's Major Depressive Disorder was caused by or aggravated by her migraine headache disorder prior to February 2009, as there was no evidence in the record supporting such a conclusion.
- 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
- May 9, 2016
- Citation
- 1618602
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 1618602.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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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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