The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for MDD and insomnia disorder, finding that there is at least a 50-50 balance of evidence to support this decision. The Board concluded that the Veteran's current psychiatric disabilities are related to his in-service experiences.
The deciding factor: The Board resolved the doubt in favor of the Veteran by considering the Veteran's statements regarding racial harassment during service and the opinion of a private psychologist who linked these symptoms to his service history.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder (MDD), insomnia disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20035284
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 20035284.
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 Board has granted service connection for an insomnia disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in the pre-decisional duty to assist, and a need for an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed insomnia disorder.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeals for the claims of service connection for insomnia disorder with generalized anxiety disorder, pes planus, calcaneonavicular coalition bilateral feet secondary to right ankle sprain, and pes planus, calcaneonavicular coalition bilateral feet secondary to left ankle pain.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder with insomnia disorder is rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that this rating is not sufficient to reflect his disability picture.
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