Depression decisions — 2000

The Board found that the veteran's psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, is not well grounded due to lack of medical evidence linking it to service or a service-connected disability. The claim for headaches was found to be well grounded based on head trauma sustained in service.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection and assigned a 10 percent rating for his psychological headaches, musculoskeletal disorder with anxiety and depression. The veteran's headaches represent the major degree of disability in this condition.

The veteran's claim for restoration of special monthly pension benefits based on the need for regular aid and attendance or at the housebound rate is denied due to his failure to cooperate with scheduled VA examinations.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, but finds that there is no new and material evidence to support the reopening. The Board also concludes that the veteran's current psychiatric disorders are not well grounded as they do not have a direct relationship with his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for major depression on a secondary basis is not well grounded and denied it. The issue of an increased rating for vascular headaches with migraine components was remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim of service connection for bipolar disorder and depression, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his period of active duty service.

The Board found that the veteran's left knee disability warranted a 20% evaluation, but denied claims for increased evaluations and service connection for right knee disability and depression/substance abuse.

The Board granted service connection for anxiety disorder with depression and awarded a 100 percent disability evaluation, effective from April 29, 1993. The claim of an earlier effective date was denied.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for major depressive disorder effective December 6, 1994. The appellant's service-connected status post thyroidectomy is rated at 10 percent. Service connection for cerebral vascular accident and diabetes mellitus have been denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease secondary to his service-connected chronic anxiety and depressive disorder, as well as his claim for special monthly compensation based on need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well-grounded, as there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and service or any inservice exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, stress disorder, and asbestosis. The claim for hypertension was based on direct evidence of a current disability and its relationship to service. The claims for stress disorder and asbestosis were not well-grounded.

The Board found that the appellant's claim for service connection for depression secondary to a left knee disability is not well-grounded due to lack of competent evidence linking the current psychiatric symptomatology to the service-connected disability. The claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder was granted based on credible supporting evidence of the claimed in-service stressors.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to rate the veteran's disability from his nonservice-connected mental disorder and to distinguish it from his history of alcohol abuse. The veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to determine the nature and extent of his disability, as well as the cause of his malnutrition and wasting syndrome.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance, finding that there was no clinical record prior to September 7, 1995, showing the criteria for aid and attendance benefits were met.

The veteran's claim for increased ratings and effective dates related to his service-connected conditions has been granted by the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected major depression and dysthymia warrant a 50 percent disability rating, effective February 15, 1996. The claim for individual unemployability due to service-connected disability was granted.

The veteran's generalized anxiety disorder with depression is found to be aggravated by his service-connected back disorder, and a rating of 60 percent for the ruptured lumbar disc is granted.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for a depressive disorder with tension headaches and PTSD is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the VA examination report, which did not provide sufficient explanation of the significance of the GAF score. The case will be returned to the RO for further development including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a new VA psychiatric examination.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The claim is well-grounded as there is current evidence of a diagnosed condition.