The Board granted an initial increased rating of 70 percent, but no higher, prior to November 22, 2024, for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The deciding factor: The Veteran's reported suicidal ideation throughout the appeal period warranted a 70 percent rating due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- October 2, 2025
- Citation
- 25012364
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,081 · 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 25012364.
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 decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's sleep difficulties are separate from his OSA and caused or aggravated by his service-connected MDD with PTSD.
- Denied
The Veteran's MDD with PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, effective April 27, 2011. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating as her symptoms did not meet the criteria for a 70% disability rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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