The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability and denied the Veteran's request for an increased rating for his major depressive disorder. The Veteran's right knee condition was not found to be related to service, and his major depressive disorder is currently rated at 50 percent disabling.
The deciding factor: Service connection could not be established as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current right knee disability and service or a service-connected back disability. The Veteran's major depressive disorder met criteria for a 50% rating based on occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee disability, Major depressive disorder, Myositis of the lumbar paravertebral muscles, left L5-S1 paracentral disc herniation, and L4-L5 and L2-L3 bulging disc
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2018
- Citation
- 18143873
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18143873.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder does not render him in need of regular aid and attendance or confined to his home, thus SMC based on housebound status and/or need for regular aid and attendance is denied.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the (o) rate and SMC at the (r)(2) rate, effective January 19, 2025. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected conditions warrant these awards due to his need for aid and attendance.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder, as secondary to his already service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for major depressive disorder, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis is related to his in-service harassment. Service connection was denied for a binge eating disorder as there is no evidence of such a condition.
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