The Board has granted separate ratings for right and left knee instability, but has remanded the issues of higher ratings for limitation of motion and hearing loss. The Veteran's MDD is also service-connected as secondary to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) due to its being proximately due to service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Right knee instability, Left knee instability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005675
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability but denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the right knee.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include MDD, as secondary to service-connected disabilities due to a duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and foot disabilities. The claim for NSC pension benefits was dismissed as moot due to a higher disability rating.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of June 21, 2024, for the award of service connection for major depressive disorder (MDD).
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