The Board granted service connection for persistent depressive disorder, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis on an aggravation basis.
The deciding factor: The evidence was at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's persistent depressive disorder has been aggravated by his service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, and reasonable doubt was resolved in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- Persistent depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25023187
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for persistent depressive disorder and diabetes mellitus type II, granted an increased rating of 10 percent for hypertension, and granted an increased rating of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also remanded service connection for cardiac arrhythmia.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 70 percent for anxiety disorder and granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as no VA examination or medical opinion addressing the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability has been conducted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial disability rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with generalized anxiety disorder, effective January 5, 2023, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The appeal was dismissed for persistent depressive disorder as it is not clearly distinguishable from the Veteran's already service-connected PTSD.
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