The Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder with anxious distress is granted an initial 70 percent evaluation, effective February 27, 2017. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) has been added to the appeal and remanded for further action.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's depressive disorder with anxious distress was found to approximate occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70 percent evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105731
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (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 19105731.
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.
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- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for the proposed reduction of facial scars, an increased rating for tinnitus, and service connection for migraines have been dismissed due to untimely filings or lack of good cause.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including unspecified depressive disorder and depressive disorder with anxious distress, as secondary to his service-connected tinnitus. The decision finds that the Veteran's sleeplessness due to constant ringing in his ears caused his depression.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for depressive disorder with anxious distress and for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The appellant's community care records from July 2024 need to be obtained and associated with the claims file.
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