The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood, finding the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The severity, frequency, and duration of the Veteran's symptoms during this period most closely approximated the symptoms contemplated by a 30 percent rating, and did not rise to the severity level of a 50 percent rating which include symptoms such as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; or difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- April 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25037772
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for the Veteran's adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood, but denied an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis. The claim for service connection for a liver condition was remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's motion to revise the March 2011 rating decision that granted service connection for adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood, on the grounds of clear and unmistakable error (CUE).
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for chronic frontal/ethmoid sinusitis, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran. The other claims were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an earlier effective date due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in failing to provide notice of the right to a hearing.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.