The Veteran's claims of service connection for depression, lumbar spine disorder, left ankle disorder, numbness of the feet, bilateral knee disorders, and bilateral hip disorders have been reopened. The appeals are granted to these extents only.
The deciding factor: New evidence received since the previous denial has established that the Veteran may have a current psychiatric condition (depression) and/or lumbar spine disorder related to service-connected conditions or other causes, but further evaluation is needed as there is no direct evidence of such relationships. The left ankle, numbness of the feet, bilateral knee, and hip disorders are not shown in service or related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, lumbar spine disorder, left ankle disorder, numbness of the feet, bilateral knee disorders, bilateral hip disorders
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- January 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20004827
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · 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 20004827.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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