The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of 70 percent for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress is granted, effective December 21, 2024. The claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximate occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, warranting a 70 percent evaluation from December 21, 2024.
- Claimed conditions
- Unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- April 15, 2026
- Citation
- A26034898
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 A26034898.
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 Veteran's rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was restored to 20 percent, effective February 24, 2020. The Veteran's depressive disorder and scars were all granted increased ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and benefits related to his PTSD are being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. Specifically, the AOJ should obtain records from the Vet Center.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his depressive disorder, lumbosacral strain with IVDS, and sciatic radiculopathy have been remanded by the Board due to procedural issues. The initial evaluation for unspecified depressive disorder remains denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress was initially severed in April 2024, but the Board has now granted restoration of this condition based on new evidence that supports its relationship to military service.
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