The Board granted service connection for major depressive disorder (MDD) as it is proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected right knee chondromalacia with pain.
The deciding factor: The March 2024 and May 2024 VA examiners' opinions support that the Veteran's MDD is proximately due to his service-connected right knee chondromalacia with pain, as chronic knee pain is a risk factor for depression and the Veteran began reporting symptoms of depression in early 2021.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder (MDD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- June 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25053509
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 833 · Granted: 33% (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 A25053509.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for dizziness, TBI, MDD, and anxiety disorder is granted as new evidence has been received. The claims are remanded to obtain VA examinations.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is related to her military service, and the Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for earlier effective dates for service connection and TDIU was granted, with the effective date set at September 27, 2018.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD with MDD and middle insomnia are granted as service-connected. The left ankle, lumbar spine, and right ankle disabilities are also granted as service-connected. However, the Veteran's migraines, bilateral shins (tibialis posterior tendinitis), stomach pain, nausea, queasiness, and bilateral foot disabilities remain denied.
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