The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for her psychiatric condition and service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome was granted. The Veteran now has a 70 percent disability rating for her major depressive disorder with anxious distress, effective from March 23, 2017. She also received service connection for left and right carpal tunnel syndromes.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's assessment supported the need for an increased rating based on the Veteran's symptoms of suicidal ideation and other impairments in social functioning.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder with anxious distress (psychiatric condition), Left carpal tunnel syndrome, Right carpal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- A19002224
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, OSA, bilateral knee disorders, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and a GI disorder as there was no evidence of these conditions during the appeal period. The claims were denied based on the lack of medical evidence supporting current diagnoses.
- Granted
The Board granted separate 10 percent disability ratings for the Veteran's service-connected left and right carpal tunnel syndrome, and left and right cubital tunnel syndrome.
- Partly granted
The Board denied several claims for increased ratings and service connection, while granting others.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, but denied increased ratings and service connection for other conditions.
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