An effective date of December 9, 1980, for service connection of a back disability is granted.,An effective date prior to October 10, 2012, for service connection of depression is denied.,Prior to September 18, 2014, an initial rating of 50 percent for depression is granted. Since September 18, 2014, a higher rating is denied.,Since June 10, 2014, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and TDIU benefits are granted.

The deciding factor: The effective date for service connection of the back disability is set at December 9, 1980, as it falls within one year after separation from active duty.,Service connection for depression was not established prior to October 10, 2012, due to lack of new evidence submitted before this date.,The Veteran's depression disability is rated at 50 percent since June 10, 2014, and the decision on higher ratings remains pending. TDIU benefits are granted as of June 10, 2014.

Claimed conditions

Back disability, Depression

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

50%

Decision date

December 6, 2023

Citation

23064822

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 23064822.