Depression decisions — 2001

The veteran is seeking service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including manic depression, anxiety, fatigue, general adaptive disorder, and an attitude disorder. The Board finds that additional development is required as a matter of law.

The veteran has a chronic acquired psychiatric disability, variously diagnosed, which was incurred during her active service and is granted service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability. The Board finds that the veteran's current psychiatric disabilities, including major depression with psychotic features and schizoaffective disorder, were either first manifested during her military service or within one year of discharge from service. Therefore, service connection is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder, PTSD, and depression. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred during active military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The veteran's claim for service connection for depression as secondary to his bilateral knee disability was received more than a year after discharge from service. The effective date of the grant is set at May 11, 1998.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD and for PTSD, finding no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's major depressive disorder is characterized as severe, resulting in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. The Board has determined that a 70 percent rating is warranted for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's depression is due to his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus, and thus grants service connection for depression as secondary to these disabilities.

The veteran's claims for service connection for psychiatric disability, lung disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current skin disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety, were not incurred or aggravated during his active service. The evidence does not show a nexus between any current psychiatric condition and his military service.

The VA determined that the veteran's major depression, recurrent, does not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 50 percent.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for depression and obsessive/compulsive disorder due to new evidence showing that his pre-existing condition was aggravated during active service. The Board found no evidence of a chronic disability in service, but determined that the veteran's symptoms were related to his pre-service condition.

The veteran's claim for a permanent and total disability rating for nonservice-connected pension purposes, including extraschedular entitlement under 38 C.F.R. § 3.321(b)(2), is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and examinations.

The Board denied the veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including low back disability, major depression, memory loss, mood swings, and sleeplessness due to an undiagnosed illness, joint pain due to an undiagnosed illness, testicular cancer (to include as secondary to Persian Gulf War service), loss of appetite due to an undiagnosed illness, impotence due to an undiagnosed illness, constipation due to an undiagnosed illness, postoperative residuals of a lipoma of the left infrascapular area, and blood in the bowels due to an undiagnosed illness. The Board found that there was no evidence supporting these claims.

The veteran's claims for service connection for joint pain, fatigue, nausea, and muscle pain due to undiagnosed illnesses are denied as they have been attributed to known diagnoses or other causes.

The Board found that the veteran does not have PTSD related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left hip disorder and a herniated nucleus pulposus, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound, finding that he does not meet the criteria due to his ability to perform daily activities and manage finances.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals denied the veteran's claim for service connection for depression, based on his period of service from December 1963 to February 1968. The appeal is not about a presumption like PACT Act/Agent Orange/Camp Lejeune; it is not linked to an already service-connected condition (secondary); nor does it involve aggravation of a pre-existing condition (aggravation).