Depression decisions — 2005

The case is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a Travel Board hearing before a member of the Board sitting at the RO. The appellant and his representative will have access to the claims folder to prepare for the hearing.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for further examinations to determine the onset of depression.

The Board found that the appellant does not have PTSD and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, depression, varicose veins with swelling of the legs and feet, and bilateral inguinal hernias. The veteran's claims were based on direct evidence without any presumption or secondary relationship to a previously service-connected condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection for astigmatism, high cholesterol, and a left hand disability (carpal tunnel syndrome) are denied. The heart disability with hypertension is not related to active military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the claimed conditions are not related to his military service.

The veteran's PTSD with depression has been rated at 70 percent since July 25, 2000, and a total rating based on unemployability was assigned as of that date.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to determine the cause of any disabilities resulting from treatment at a VA facility in Boston, Massachusetts in July 1992.

The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disability, including agoraphobia and major depressive disorder, as secondary to the veteran's service-connected gynecological disorders of incompetent cervix with multiple surgical procedures and miscarriages times four.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to a service-connected migraine headache disorder and denied the claim for increased evaluation of migraine headaches.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for depression and an increased rating for his right middle finger laceration. The evidence did not support a finding that either condition was related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of claimed in-service stressors and additional development is needed, including verifying specific events such as the electrocution of a fellow Marine and the drowning of another Marine. The veteran should be afforded a VA psychiatric examination if any verified stressor is found.

The veteran's appeal is for an increased rating for his left foot disability and a change in the effective date of service connection and evaluation for his psychiatric condition. The Board has remanded this case to issue a Statement of the Case on the NOD regarding the effective date.

The veteran's major depression is currently rated at 30 percent disabling, and the Board has determined that a higher rating of 50 percent is warranted based on his symptoms.

The Board has determined that the veteran's conditions, including as due to an undiagnosed illness, are service-connected for wrists, ankles, elbows, hips, and neck disabilities. The right knee disability is also service-connected. However, the veteran does not have chronic fatigue syndrome or asthmatic bronchitis.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD, finding that his symptoms did not warrant a higher rating since December 10, 2001.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA medical records, including those from his inpatient treatment at the Little Rock VA Medical Center. The case will be readjudicated after these records are obtained.

The Board found no etiological or causal relationship between the veteran's service-connected total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and any depression.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining employment records and applying appropriate diagnostic codes to determine if higher ratings are warranted for fibromyalgia and major depression.

The Board found no evidence of a psychiatric disability other than PTSD during or within one year after the veteran's active duty service. The veteran's claims for depression and major depressive disorder were not substantiated by competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.