The Board has dismissed the appeal for an earlier effective date for a 50 percent rating for major depressive disorder with anxious distress. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for intervertebral disc degeneration of the lumbosacral spine is remanded, and his TDIU claim remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding an earlier effective date for the 50 percent rating for major depressive disorder with anxious distress. The intervertebral disc degeneration of the lumbosacral spine issue requires further development due to a lack of recent VA examination, and the TDIU claim remains pending.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2022
- Citation
- 22000577
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (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 22000577.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's major depressive disorder with anxious distress is rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, particularly PTSD. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions and related stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error where VA was aware of relevant private treatment records but did not notify the appellant or request a release for these records.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for major depressive disorder with anxious distress was granted effective October 29, 2019. He is currently receiving a 70% disability rating.
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