The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his unspecified mood disorder with insomnia is granted to a 50 percent disability rating. The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is also granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's mood disorder, along with his service-connected DDD and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, causes significant occupational and social impairment, preventing him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified mood disorder, degenerative disk disease (DDD) of lumbar spine, rheumatoid arthritis of left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- November 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21066659
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 21066659.
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 service connection for somatic symptom disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, memory loss, and unspecified mood disorder but denied initial compensable ratings for vitreal floaters, chronic headaches, bilateral hearing loss, and persistent cough.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of unspecified mood disorder with generalized anxiety disorder, somatic symptom disorder, and alcohol use disorder to correct a duty to assist error.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeal, and all claims were dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, as the March 2024 VA examination and opinion are incomplete and inconsistent with other contemporaneous evidence of record.
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