The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen her service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety, mood disorder, panic disorder, and bipolar disorder as secondary to service-connected halitosis. The decision also grants service connection for these conditions on a secondary basis due to aggravation by the service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's mental health disorders were aggravated by her service-connected halitosis based on the evidence presented, including the October 2022 letter from her private psychiatric nurse and the Veteran's own statements regarding how her bad breath affected her mental health.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, anxiety, mood disorder, panic disorder, bipolar disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2023
- Citation
- 23059647
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 23059647.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
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