The Veteran's claims for service connection for depression and anxiety have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his requests to proceed with these issues.,Service connection has been granted for right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right hip disorder, and left knee disorder. The Veteran's obesity is considered an intermediate step between his service-connected back disability and these disorders.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran withdrew his claims for depression and anxiety at the hearing.,Service connection was granted based on a theory of secondary service connection, with obesity as an intermediate step. The right shoulder disorder claim is remanded for further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, anxiety, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right hip disorder, left knee disorder, right shoulder disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2023
- Citation
- 23063277
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 23063277.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- 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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