The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability is reopened and granted as his current major depressive disorder with anxious distress is found to be secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability.,The request to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for a head injury, now claimed as traumatic brain injury (TBI) residuals, is denied. The evidence does not support that any right shoulder disability is related to a service-connected left upper extremity disability.
The deciding factor: The March 2017 VA examination confirmed the Veteran's diagnosis of major depressive disorder with anxious distress and opined that his psychiatric disability was more likely than not proximately due to or the result of chronic pain and associated declines in somatic functioning related to his physical injuries, including the service-connected residuals of his left shoulder injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability, Major depressive disorder with anxious distress, Right shoulder disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2023
- Citation
- A23037015
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 A23037015.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal regarding attorney fees for past-due benefits awarded in a June 2021 rating decision is dismissed as moot due to the waiver of rights by R.V.C.
- 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 Veteran's request to readjudicate the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability with alcohol and drug abuse is granted. The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence sufficient to readjudicate the claim has been received, but further development is needed due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding verification of reported deaths in service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for a right shoulder disability and remanded the case for further action on heart disability. The decision regarding right shoulder disability is that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service.
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