Depression decisions — 2007

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a video conference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge. The issues include increased evaluation, service connection for sleep apnea and depression as secondary to service-connected disabilities, radiculopathy of the lower extremities, incontinence, and TDIU.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for depression, finding that there was no relationship between his service or his service-connected hypertensive vascular disease.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including residuals of a right knee injury and secondary disabilities. The denial is based on lack of evidence showing in-service or post-service continuity of symptomatology.

The veteran's claims for service connection for a fungus of the fingernails and depression were denied as there is no evidence showing these conditions are related to his military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling the veteran for VA examinations to assess the current severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD or a disorder characterized as depression, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's preexisting acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression, was aggravated by service. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the veteran's claims for service connection for Crohn's disease and major depression due to incomplete development of her Naval Reserve service records, lack of verification of periods of active duty and inactive duty training, and need for additional medical examination.

The Board has granted service connection for a depressive disorder and sinus disorder, finding that these conditions are related to the veteran's active duty service. The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to facial trauma.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including scheduling a VA examination to determine if his service-connected disabilities (especially major depression and migraine headaches) are permanently disabling. The case will be returned to the Board for further consideration.

The Board denied various claims, including service connection for several conditions and an increased rating for a burn disability. The veteran's appeals were not granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for depression and dysthymic disorder, as well as his claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus. The evidence did not establish a nexus between current psychiatric disabilities and active duty service.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations and TDIU were all denied. The claim for depressive disorder was reopened, but the evidence does not support service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, depression/depressive disorder, and PTSD due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a chronic psychiatric disorder manifested by amnesia and depression that had its onset in service, and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the veteran has an acquired psychiatric disorder separate from his alcohol or drug dependence.

The Board has determined that a more contemporaneous examination is needed to properly evaluate the veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder with depression due to the inadequacy of the May 2004 VA examination. The RO must obtain all outstanding records of treatment and/or evaluation for the veteran's service-connected condition, including from Dr. B.B., and arrange for a VA psychiatric examination.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and finds that new evidence submitted since the initial denial raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The Board also concludes that the current psychiatric disorders are not related to military service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant.,Service connection has not been established for blindness in both eyes, loss of use of either hand, or any disability resulting in the anatomical loss or loss of use of both feet.

The Board finds that the veteran's depression is service-connected, and his diabetes mellitus, type II, preexisted service. The Board also finds no evidence of current bilateral eye disability for VA purposes.