The Board has granted a 70 percent disability rating for depressive disorder from March 29, 2013 to May 15, 2018. The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and evaluation of his herniated nucleus pulposus and associated radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, as well as TDIU.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s depressive disorder symptoms more closely approximated a 70 percent rating due to suicidal ideation and difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances. The pre-decisional duty to assist error was identified for herniated nucleus pulposus and associated radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, as well as TDIU.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified with Anxiety Symptoms, Herniated Nucleus Pulposus Status Post Endoscopic Discectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2019
- Citation
- A19003301
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A19003301.
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
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- Granted
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