The Board granted service connection for unspecified depressive disorder as secondary to tinnitus, denied service connection for a left knee disorder and umbilical hernia.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted based on the opinion that the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus contributed to his unspecified depressive disorder. The evidence did not support a finding of service connection for the left knee disorder or umbilical hernia.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee disorder (degenerative arthritis), umbilical hernia, unspecified depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- February 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25011429
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 915 · Granted: 38% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25011429.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorders were rated at a 70 percent disability rating effective May 6, 2015.,Effective May 6, 2015, the Veteran was granted an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral knee and back disorders due to outstanding private treatment records not obtained. The Veteran's tinnitus claim was withdrawn by the appellant.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current unspecified depressive disorder is related to his service-connected disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder with insomnia disorder is rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that this rating is not sufficient to reflect his disability picture.
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