The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, migraine headache disorder, tinnitus, cervical strain, right hand finger disorders, left hand arthritis, and right knee strain, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was probative because it was based on an accurate medical history and provided clear conclusions with supporting data. The Veteran is not competent to provide a nexus opinion regarding the issue of service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress as it is medically complex.
- Claimed conditions
- Unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, Migraine headache disorder, Tinnitus disorder, Cervical strain disorder, Right hand thumb, index, long, ring finger disorders, Left hand arthritis disorder, Right knee strain disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 6, 2025
- Citation
- A25050209
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 denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for hypercholesterolemia, a migraine headache disorder, and a fungal infection of the foot.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress prior to May 23, 2023 and granted a 50 percent rating from May 23, 2023 to August 13, 2023. A rating in excess of 70 percent was also denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 100 percent disability rating for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, and insomnia disorder. The issue of an earlier effective date for service connection for PTSD was dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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