The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder as secondary to his service-connected tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinion provided by the Veteran's treating psychiatric nurse practitioner supported that the Veteran's tinnitus aggravated his mental health diagnoses, leading to increased anxiety, depression, and irritability.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26030137
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 A26030137.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to failure to obtain records from Holly Hill Hospital. The Veteran was previously denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including GAD.
- Granted
The Veteran's GAD with PDD resulted in occupational and social impairment, warranting an initial rating of 70 percent.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial rating for service-connected GAD was denied, as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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