The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression and anxiety, as it was not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service, and is not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability. The Board also denied a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to May 16, 2019, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD), spondylosis, and sprain. However, as of October 24, 2018, a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was granted.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the lack of evidence showing that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder was related to his military service or caused by any service-connected disabilities. The Board also found no evidence supporting an increased rating for the lumbar spine condition, and granted TDIU as resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- depression and anxiety
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2024
- Citation
- 24000614
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 withdrew his appeals for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and sleep apnea, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these appeals.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for all issues, including increased disability ratings and service connection claims.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include depression and anxiety; hysterectomy; circulation issues in bilateral lower leg areas from knee and below; lumbosacral strain; and insomnia.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability other than posttraumatic stress disorder, as the evidence does not support a diagnosis of any such condition and the veteran is already compensated for all his psychiatric symptoms through his service-connected PTSD.
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