The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection of a mental disorder was granted. Service connection is also granted for persistent depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran’s current mental disorder (persistent depressive disorder) had its onset during service or is etiologically related to his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Persistent Depressive Disorder, Schizophrenia
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184496
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,037 · Granted: 21% (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 19184496.
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 persistent depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, the highest available rating under the General Formula for Mental Disorders. The other issues have been denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress was granted, effective January 17, 2024. The Board has now granted an earlier effective date of May 31, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically schizophrenia, is rated at 70 percent disabling. The appeal for a TDIU has been granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for schizophrenia was reopened and granted effective June 14, 1989. SMC based on the need for aid and attendance is also granted as of that date.
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