The Veteran's initial 30 percent rating for adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression was granted. The issue of service connection for a lumbar spine disability is remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed symptoms consistent with an adjustment disorder, including moderate depression screening and anxiety, which caused occupational and social impairment but not to the level required for higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety and Depressed Mood, Lumbar Spine Disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- October 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20070539
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,934 · Granted: 41% (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 20070539.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable prior to August 19, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.,The Veteran's depressive disorder is rated as 30% prior to December 1, 2022 and at a 40% rating since that date.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated as 20% prior to December 1, 2022 and at a 40% rating since that date.,The Veteran's left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated as 10% prior to August 3, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.,The Veteran's right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated as 10% prior to August 3, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.,The Veteran's left lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy is rated as 20% since August 3, 2024.,The Veteran's right ankle disability is rated as 10% prior to August 27, 2024 and at a 20% rating since that date.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability, characterized as PTSD and alcohol use disorder, is now rated at 70 percent. The rating will be effective from the date of the April 2023 VA decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, and his left and right foot disabilities are each rated at 10 percent. The appeals for increased ratings have been denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of increased ratings for Right Shoulder Disability and Lumbar Spine Disability due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding medication effects.
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