The Veteran's service connection for depressive disorder is granted. The appeal seeking to reopen a claim for service connection for a chronic disability to account for bilateral arm disability is granted, but the issue of service connection for mental health conditions other than depressive disorder (to include alcohol and cannabis abuse disorders) is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has been diagnosed with depressive disorder and provided competent and probative lay and medical evidence reflecting that his depressive disorder was incurred in service and has persisted since then. The appeal seeking to reopen a claim for service connection for a chronic disability to account for bilateral arm disability is granted, but the issue of service connection for mental health conditions other than depressive disorder (to include alcohol and cannabis abuse disorders) requires further development.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Disorder, Alcohol and Cannabis Abuse Disorders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2018
- Citation
- 18142216
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 18142216.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial increased rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability from March 8, 2010, to May 19, 2014, and denied a higher rating thereafter.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder of generalized anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, as secondary to the service-connected left ankle disability. Service connection was also granted for pseudofolliculitis barbae, and a 20 percent rating was assigned for left ankle achilles tendonitis from October 23, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include GAD and depressive disorder, as well as a cervical spine disability, right wrist pain, and left wrist pain. However, the claims for lumbar spine pain were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 50 percent and 70 percent for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, depressive disorder, trauma and stressor related disorder, personality disorder, alcohol use disorder, and cannabis use disorder.
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