The Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than June 20, 2013, for the grant of service connection for depressive disorder and an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus are denied. The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine the current severity and manifestations of the Veteran's left knee strain, allergic rhinitis, psoriasis, and depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The effective date for the grant of service connection for depressive disorder was assigned based on the date of receipt of the claim, which was June 20, 2013. The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at its maximum schedular rating under Diagnostic Code 6260.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, tinnitus, left knee strain, allergic rhinitis, psoriasis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2018
- Citation
- 18145107
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 18145107.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine pain, allergic rhinitis, and recurrent yeast infections. The claims for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder with alcohol use disorder and left knee pain were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
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