The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for MDD was denied.,Service connection for PTSD was denied as the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD under DSM-5.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have a diagnosed PTSD and his mental health symptoms were better characterized by MDD and insomnia disorder, which are already service-connected.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder (MDD), Residuals of traumatic brain injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- February 17, 2026
- Citation
- A26014085
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 A26014085.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected Major Depressive Disorder contributed to his death from a Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA). The claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is therefore granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders and their relationship to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in verifying the Veteran's claimed stressors and developing his claim for a psychiatric disability other than PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide more details about the events he witnessed during service, and a VA examination will be scheduled to determine if any diagnosed conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking his current mental health conditions to his military service.
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