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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 734 · Granted: 31% (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 A25050209.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of 70 percent for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress is granted, effective December 21, 2024. The claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was restored to 20 percent, effective February 24, 2020. The Veteran's depressive disorder and scars were all granted increased ratings.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the Veteran's Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was not properly completed and signed by an authorized representative.
- Granted
The Veteran's migraine headache disorder is granted a disability rating of 30 percent prior to May 16, 2023.,The Veteran's migraine headache disorder is granted a disability rating of 50 percent from May 16, 2023.
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