The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for a total rating of 100 percent for major depressive disorder without psychotic features, and also a TDIU prior to January 22, 2019.,The Board has determined that additional development is necessary due to the lack of relevant medical records from within one year prior to the Veteran's intent to file.
The deciding factor: There are no relevant medical records available to determine if there was worsening in the Veteran's condition within one year prior to her intent to file an increased rating claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder without psychotic features
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2026
- Citation
- A26001685
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 A26001685.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 earlier effective date of August 8, 2016 is granted as this is the date VA received her intent to file. The Board finds that she has continuously pursued her claim and thus, an effective date of August 8, 2016, but no earlier, is warranted.
- Granted
The Board finds that the Veteran's major depressive disorder without psychotic features and generalized anxiety disorder are related to service, meeting the criteria for direct service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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