The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disability (to include various mood disorders) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine, bilateral knee, and bilateral lower extremity disabilities.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise that the Veteran’s current mood disorders were caused or aggravated by his service-connected thoracolumbar spine condition, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral knee conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, bipolar II disorder, major depression recurrent, unspecified depression, unspecified anxiety, mood disorder not otherwise specified (NOS)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2018
- Citation
- 18108660
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 18108660.
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 service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, along with alcohol use disorder, has been granted a 100% evaluation effective from April 8, 2021. The disability causes total occupational and social impairment.
- Granted
The Board has restored the 10 percent disability rating for an adjustment disorder and the 20 percent disability rating for a back condition, effective June 1, 2025. The Veteran's claims of increased ratings are remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood is rated at 70 percent from October 31, 2023. Service connection for IBS and obstructive sleep apnea are granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for tinnitus, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, OSA, and a low back disability must be remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
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