Depression decisions — 2004

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for major depression is being remanded due to the need for VCAA compliance.

The Board has ordered a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any PTSD, including identifying stressors and assessing whether it is at least as likely as not attributable to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right and left knee disabilities, a left ankle disability, dysthymia with depression, PTSD, and a heart disability claimed as tachycardia. The decision also noted that new evidence submitted did not meet the criteria to reopen the claim for service connection of the heart disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, finding that his current mental disorders were not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to substantiate the veteran's claim for service connection for anxiety and depression, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for acquired depression, finding no nexus between his current diagnosis and active duty service.

The Board found that the veteran's major depression is related to his service, specifically to chronic pain he experienced due to his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has determined that the appellant's depressive disorder is related to his military service and granted service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, including a scar of the left chest and residuals from shrapnel wounds to his shoulders. The major depressive disorder is also considered service-connected.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for bipolar disorder, finding that his symptoms were adequately addressed by a 50 percent evaluation.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected psychoneurosis, anxiety disorder with depression, as the evidence indicated that the symptomatology attributable to this disability had remained relatively stable since his last VA medical evaluation in 1998.

The veteran's widow is seeking accrued benefits based on the severity of his service-connected PTSD. However, there were no unpaid VA benefits due to him at the time of his death and he had no pending claims for VA benefits when he died.

The veteran's combined disability rating is 30 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's headaches, muscle aches, insomnia and sleeplessness, fatigue, memory loss, joint pain and stiffness, depression, numbness in extremities, bleeding from gums, and frequent thirst are all considered to be due to undiagnosed illnesses related to his service in the Persian Gulf War. As such, these claims have been granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to determine if the veteran's psychiatric disorder meets the criteria for PTSD and is related to service. The RO must also consider whether the veteran is entitled to increased ratings for his scars and arthritis.

The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's psychiatric disability, including bipolar disorder and manic depression. The decision is based on evidence that is not related to a specific exposure basis or presumption.

The veteran is entitled to an effective date of March 5, 1996 for the grant of compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for his disabilities resulting from a VA surgery in 1996.

The veteran seeks an increased initial evaluation for his service-connected PTSD, which is currently rated at 30 percent. The Board has determined that the evidence does not conclusively determine which symptoms are related to the service-connected PTSD and ordered a VA examination to better determine this.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The case is remanded to the RO for further development.