The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (persistent depressive disorder and anxiety) as secondary to the Veteran's back and left ankle disabilities.
The deciding factor: The evidence was approximately balanced in favor of finding that the Veteran's currently diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities, including his back and left ankle disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Persistent depressive disorder, Anxiety
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25053647
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a heart disability, to include coronary artery disease (CAD), as secondary to the Veteran's anxiety and assigned a 70 percent rating from April 29, 2025. The Board also granted an initial 30 percent rating prior to that date.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for persistent depressive disorder and diabetes mellitus type II, granted an increased rating of 10 percent for hypertension, and granted an increased rating of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also remanded service connection for cardiac arrhythmia.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 70 percent for anxiety disorder and granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, while remanding claims for depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, right knee strain, left knee strain, and lumbar spine strain.
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