Depression decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to determine the severity of the veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's depression is related to her service-connected hysterectomy with left salpingectomy and left oophorectomy, which caused chronic pain, loss of self-esteem, and family problems. As a result, secondary service connection for depression is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have degenerative joint disease of the left hip, left ankle, right knee, or depression that is attributable to military service. The veteran's claimed disabilities are found to be secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of October 17, 2000, for the grant of service connection for a left foot disability manifested by degenerative joint disease is granted.,The veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his left foot disability is denied. The current evaluation of 20% is deemed appropriate based on the evidence.

The Board denied service connection for headaches and a stomach condition on a direct basis, finding no evidence of chronic disability during service or a relationship to service-connected hepatitis C. Service connection for depression was not addressed as it is unclear whether the veteran's claim was about service connection at all.,There was no credible evidence linking the veteran's current headaches or stomach condition to his military service.

The Board has dismissed the appellant's claims for service connection for depression and bipolar disorder as they have been rendered moot by a prior grant of these conditions. The right knee disorder claim is granted.

The Board found that the veteran's diagnosed conditions are not related to his military service.

The veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding his ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board finds that the veteran's current depression is related to his service-connected eye disabilities and post-concussion headaches, granting service connection for depression as secondary to these conditions.

The VA denied a higher initial rating for PTSD with MDD, finding that the veteran's symptoms are indicative of no more than occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions diagnosed in service or within one year after discharge, and there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for asbestos-related lung disease also fails as there is no competent medical evidence of a current disability related to asbestos exposure.

The veteran is seeking service connection for a psychiatric disability, specifically major depressive disorder with psychotic features. The VA examiner found no medical documentation of treatment between 1990 and 2005, leading to the denial of his claim. The Board has ordered additional development including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for enuresis, a psychiatric disorder, residuals of an excised lipoma of the right shoulder, and pseudofolliculitis barbae. The issues of entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae were remanded.

The Board found that the veteran's depression is a result of his own willful drug use, and therefore denied service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a permanent total disability rating on the basis of individual unemployability.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper VCAA notice regarding the reopening of his service connection claims.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed as she requested withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder, finding that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim. The Board also found that his psychiatric disorders were not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for depressive disorder and is now considering the claim for TDIU in conjunction with this rating.

The Board found that the veteran's lumbar spine disability and psychiatric disability (depression) were not incurred or aggravated during his service. The claim for secondary service connection for sinusitis was remanded due to lack of evidence.