The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression (claimed as acquired psychiatric condition/mental condition) is denied due to lack of a formal or informal claim prior to September 25, 2015.,The Veteran's claim for SMC based on housebound criteria is denied because he did not meet the statutory requirement of having a single service-connected disability rated at 100% and additional disabilities rated at 60%.,The Veteran's claim for basic eligibility to DEA is denied as his TDIU was not based on a single disability, thus failing to satisfy the statutory requirement of a total rating for purposes of 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s).,Claims for increased ratings for left and right knee surgical scars are denied due to noncompensable (zero percent) ratings under Diagnostic Code 7802.
The deciding factor: The effective date of September 25, 2015, is the correct date as it is later than the date of claim.,The Veteran did not meet the statutory requirement for SMC based on housebound criteria due to lack of a single service-connected disability rated at 100% and additional disabilities rated at 60%.,TDIU was granted but not based on a single disability, thus failing to satisfy the statutory requirement of a total rating for purposes of 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s).,The Veteran's knee scars are rated noncompensable (zero percent) under Diagnostic Code 7802.,The Veteran's knee scars do not meet any criteria for higher ratings based on the characteristics of disfigurement.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, left knee surgical scar, right knee surgical scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2026
- Citation
- A26019638
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 A26019638.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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