The Veteran's major depressive disorder is granted as secondary to his service-connected conditions. His right ankle disability has been increased to a 20% rating, and the initial compensable rating for his right ankle scars is denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established for major depressive disorder on a secondary basis due to related service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's right ankle disability met criteria for a 20% rating based on marked limitation of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder, Post Traumatic Synovitis of the Right Ankle, Status Post Open Reduction and Internal Fixation, Distal Fibula Fracture, Recurrent Anterior Subluxation of the Glenohumeral Joint of the Right Shoulder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19104263
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,614 · Granted: 35% (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 19104263.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a 70 percent disability rating for his psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with MDD and anxiety, has been granted. However, the issue of entitlement to Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) is remanded due to procedural issues.
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