The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include insomnia and major depressive disorder with anxious distress, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disability. The claim for an earlier effective date for TMJ was denied, as well as a higher initial rating for TMJ. The claims for service connection for left and right shoulder conditions were remanded.
The deciding factor: The psychiatric disorder is aggravated by the service-connected bilateral knee disability, thus granting service connection on a secondary basis. An earlier effective date or higher rating for TMJ was not supported by the evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), Acquired psychiatric disorder, to include insomnia and major depressive disorder with anxious distress, Left shoulder condition, Right shoulder condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25038858
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 Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding a causal relationship between the condition and an in-service incident of military sexual trauma (MST).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 29, 2019 for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder but denied earlier effective dates and increased ratings for other conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a right knee disorder, and a lumbar spine disorder.
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.