The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder with anxious distress as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities due to an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on a private medical opinion that found the Veteran's current depressive disorder with anxious distress was more likely than not related to her service-connected conditions, including hypertension, left wrist sprain, residuals of left ankle sprains, eczema, and recurrent left eye pterygium.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 28, 2025
- Citation
- A25028876
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,549 · Granted: 26% (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 A25028876.
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 determined that new and relevant evidence has been received for the claim of service connection for headaches. The Veteran's supplemental claim is being remanded to allow for a VA examination and an updated opinion regarding the relationship between his headaches and his service-connected depressive disorder with anxious distress.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for the proposed reduction of facial scars, an increased rating for tinnitus, and service connection for migraines have been dismissed due to untimely filings or lack of good cause.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including unspecified depressive disorder and depressive disorder with anxious distress, as secondary to his service-connected tinnitus. The decision finds that the Veteran's sleeplessness due to constant ringing in his ears caused his depression.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for depressive disorder with anxious distress and for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The appellant's community care records from July 2024 need to be obtained and associated with the claims file.
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