Depression decisions — 2009

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder was not incurred in or aggravated during active service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's left hip disability is service-connected, and he was granted a higher rating for his right foot disability. The effective dates for the service connection of depressive disorder, OSA, and fibromyalgia are established as December 19, 2007.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence that has not yet been considered by the RO.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including recurrent major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. The lung disorder claim is denied as there is no separate diagnosis.

The Veteran's effective date for the payment of additional compensation benefits for his dependent daughter is granted as March 29, 2004.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and verifying the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors. The issues of service connection for major depressive disorder and PTSD are to be adjudicated prior to addressing the TDIU claim.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection due to new and material evidence, but denied the claim on its merits as there is no credible evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and her military service.

The Veteran's current depressive disorder is not related to his military service and was not caused or made worse by any of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no confirmed stressor related to his service and insufficient evidence of a current disability due to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial evaluations were partially granted, with the right knee chondromalacia patella receiving a 20 percent evaluation effective March 20, 2000. The instability of the right knee received a 10 percent evaluation effective September 25, 2008. The depressive disorder was assigned a 30 percent initial evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service and have denied all of his claims.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is rated at a 70 percent disability evaluation, the highest available under the rating criteria for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for a VA psychiatric examination. The issues of service connection for a psychiatric disability and whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for headaches are pending.

The Veteran's claims for psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, inguinal hernias, Achilles tendonitis of the right foot, plantar fasciitis of the left foot, thoracic spine condition, erectile dysfunction, bilateral knee condition, and skin condition (psoriasis, warts, abscesses, cysts) have been reopened. Service connection has not been established for any of these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for major depressive disorder, alcohol abuse, asbestosis, and hepatitis C. The decision found that alcohol abuse was not incurred in or aggravated by service due to his own willful misconduct. Asbestosis and hepatitis C were also not shown to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting medical evidence regarding the Veteran's psychiatric diagnosis and service connection issues.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder and depression are found to be related to his military service.,PTSD was not diagnosed or linked to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of this claim as he is no longer alive.

The Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as recurrent major depressive disorder, severe with psychotic features, can be reasonably disassociated from his military service.

The Veteran's back disorder, heart disorder (to include hypertension), and tuberculosis were not incurred or aggravated by military service. The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting conditions existed prior to his entry into service and did not undergo a permanent increase in severity during service.