The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for depression, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome are denied. The claim for an increased rating for migraines is remanded.,The Veteran’s service-connected depression is currently rated at 50 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code (DC) 9411. Her claims for left and right knee disabilities are both rated at 10 percent under DCs 5260 and 5260, respectively. The claim for migraines effective August 16, 2016 is currently rated at 50 percent under DC 8100.,The Veteran's service-connected migraines are currently rated at 50 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code (DC) 8100 effective August 16, 2016. Her claims for increased ratings for depression and knee disabilities remain pending.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran’s symptoms meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.,The Veteran's service-connected migraines are currently rated at 50 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code (DC) 8100 effective August 16, 2016. Her claims for increased ratings for depression and knee disabilities remain pending.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, migraines
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20073307
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,077 · Granted: 25% (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 20073307.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee disability, finding that it is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected back and sciatica disabilities. The evidence did not support a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- 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.
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