Depression decisions — 2000

The Board granted a 50 percent disability evaluation for major depression, effective from June 4, 1991. The decision did not address the chest pain claim or the total rating due to individual unemployability.

The veteran's spouse, the appellant, is seeking an increased apportionment of the veteran's VA benefits due to financial hardship. The Board has determined that a $600 monthly apportionment on behalf of the appellant is warranted and granted.

The VA determined that the appellant's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment based on his educational attainment and occupational experience.

The initial rating for PTSD prior to November 7, 1996 was granted at 30 percent. The ratings from November 7, 1996 to September 8, 1998 were also granted at 30 percent. As of September 8, 1998, the rating for PTSD was increased to 100 percent.

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension benefits on account of being housebound is denied because he does not have a single disability rated or ratable at 100 percent.

The Board found no evidence of a current psychiatric disability and denied the veteran's claim for service connection for major depression and PTSD.

The Board finds that the veteran's anxiety and depression developed during his active service, resolving in favor of granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his lumbosacral strain and adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression are not supported by the evidence, as the current disability picture does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable rating criteria.

The veteran's need for regular aid and attendance due to his non-service connected conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression, has been established. As a result, he is granted special monthly pension at the housebound rate.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected PTSD warrants a 50 percent evaluation, effective August 1, 1997.

The Board has determined that the veteran's major depression warrants a 30 percent evaluation since November 13, 1991. The evaluation was increased to 30 percent in July 1999.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for her psychiatric disorder, specifically major depression with psychotic features and mixed bipolar disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development including a comprehensive VA psychiatric examination.

The Board has granted a 50 percent evaluation for the veteran's anxiety reaction with depression, effective from November 7, 1996. The claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus is not well grounded.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and records review. The issues of increased rating for major depression with PTSD and a total rating based on individual unemployability are pending.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is manifested by depression, anxiety, increased startle response, panic attacks, irritability, hypervigilance, memory loss, and feeling detached and estranged from others. All contacts, except the most intimate, are so adversely affected as to result in virtual isolation in the community.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, classified as psychosis or major depression, is being remanded due to the need for additional development and evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are well-grounded and have granted them. The conditions include a right shoulder disorder, left ankle disorder, chronic strain of the right ankle, schizotypal personality disorder, psychiatric disorders (including depression and anxiety), and sleep disorder.

The Board denied reopening the claim for service connection of a left hip disorder in postoperative status and found that the veteran's claim for service connection of major depression is not well grounded.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression, as well as drug addiction, is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and verify alleged stressors supporting PTSD.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for bipolar affective disorder/depression is not well grounded and denied both his claims for service connection and increased rating.