The Veteran's initial claim of service connection for a disability manifested by loss of balance was denied in July 2014. The Board has now reopened this claim and remanded it due to new evidence indicating the Veteran experienced balance problems during active duty. For her pervasive depressive disorder, the Board found that she does not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 50 percent.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms do not rise to the level of occupational and social impairment required for a higher evaluation under Diagnostic Code 9433.
- Claimed conditions
- Pervasive depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- August 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19159868
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 439 · Granted: 19% (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 19159868.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected pervasive depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent since June 10, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The appeal is granted as his PTSD is now considered service-connected.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection of a left leg disability is reopened, and the appeal is granted.
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