Depression decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran's major depressive disorder did not manifest during service and is unrelated to any aspect of his military service, including exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, or other environmental factors. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The veteran was found to be unemployable due to her service-connected disabilities as of November 13, 2000, and the effective date for TDIU is set at August 13, 2001.

The veteran's claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining information about his employment history and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, major depression, schizophrenia, agoraphobia, degenerative changes in the cervical spine, degenerative disc disease of the low back, right arm pain (major), left arm pain, and left shoulder pain. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and military service.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to July 24, 1996 for a 100 percent evaluation for service-connected schizoaffective disorder with depression and psychotic features is being remanded due to the need for VCAA notification.

The veteran is seeking service connection for depression that he claims is related to his service-connected left hip Perthes' disease. The Board has decided the case requires additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected PTSD, finding that it manifested by reduced reliability and productivity with symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty understanding complex commands, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing effective relationships.

The Board found that the veteran's right shoulder disability and depression are not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing a direct link between his diabetes mellitus and these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for a low back disability, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen her previous denial in May 1995.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus. The reasons include uncorroborated stressor accounts, lack of evidence linking current conditions to service, and negative clinical records.

The VA has granted service connection for major depressive disorder and assigned a 10 percent evaluation, which is the maximum schedular rating available.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, back disability, residuals of right thumb injury including scar, and depression, were not incurred or aggravated during military service. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted a 50 percent rating for anxiety reaction and depression, effective from May 27, 2004. The veteran's service connection claims for foot condition, right knee injury, left knee injury, residuals of a broken jaw, hypertension, scarring of lungs, left ear hearing loss, and right ear hearing loss have been withdrawn by the appellant.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD with depression remains pending and requires further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board granted a 50 percent evaluation for major depressive disorder and found an effective date of April 4, 2005 for the award of nonservice-connected pension benefits. The TDIU claim is remanded.

The VA has determined that the veteran's PTSD with anxiety and depression does not warrant a rating higher than 50 percent, as it results in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Board has granted an initial evaluation of 50 percent for the service-connected major depressive disorder, effective from February 28, 2002.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (variously identified as schizophrenia and depression) due to his service-connected acne keloids, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's psychiatric or psychological disorders, including depressive and anxiety disorders, were not incurred in or aggravated by service.