The Veteran's MDD has been rated at 70 percent since January 12, 2018. The Board found that the symptoms do not warrant a higher rating as they are commensurate with occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for total occupational and social impairment (100% rating) but were consistent with a 70% rating based on his occupational and social impairments.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder (MDD), Generalized anxiety disorder, Insomnia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- March 22, 2023
- Citation
- 23018029
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 23018029.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of the issue of service connection for 9400 mental disorders, anxiety disorders, and generalized anxiety disorder was dismissed due to concurrent appeals. The claim is considered a supplemental claim for an already adjudicated issue.
- Granted
The Veteran's accrued benefits claim for reimbursement of expenses related to his last sickness is granted, with a total amount of $37,366.56.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate opinion regarding the relationship between any current acquired psychiatric disorder and service, specifically a claimed in-service personal assault. The Veteran's contentions are that he did not report or seek treatment for this assault because he feared it would complicate his discharge.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected Major Depressive Disorder contributed to his death from a Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA). The claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is therefore granted.
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