The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of 30 percent for Major Depressive Disorder prior to May 5, 2015 was granted. From May 5, 2015 to January 8, 2017, the Veteran received a 30 percent rating and from January 8, 2017 onwards, he received a 70 percent rating for Major Depressive Disorder. The claim for TDIU was also granted.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the Veteran's symptoms of depression, anxiety, irritability, and sleep problems which resulted in less than occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity prior to May 5, 2015; and from May 5, 2015 onwards, the Veteran had occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- August 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19163602
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · 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 19163602.
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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