The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for depressive disorder and left knee scar were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 50 percent for the depressive disorder prior to December 19, 2019 or a rating in excess of 70 percent since then. For the left knee scar, no compensable rating was assigned as the scars were not painful or unstable and did not affect an area greater than 39 square centimeters.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support the criteria for higher ratings due to lack of specific symptoms like suicidal ideations, persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly inappropriate behavior, persistent danger of hurting self or others, disorientation to time or place, and memory loss. The Veteran's subjective complaints were considered less probative than the objective medical findings.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Disorder, Left Knee Scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20064186
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,162 · 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 20064186.
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