Depression decisions — 2009

The Board found that the Veteran did not have chronic major depressive disorder in service or continuously after service, and his current diagnosis of major depressive disorder is not related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the case can be decided, including a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the Veteran's depression and PTSD are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that further examination and medical opinion are needed to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is related to her in-service sexual assault. The RO will obtain all outstanding VA treatment records and provide the Veteran with another opportunity to submit evidence.

The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder, depression, and PTSD. The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development regarding the claimed stressors and the need for a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have currently diagnosed conditions such as sleep apnea, type II diabetes mellitus, major depression, or PTSD. The service connection claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including myocardial infarction with myocardial revascularization and anxiety with depression, are of such severity as to preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment. As a result, the Board has granted a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for major depressive disorder was granted, and the effective date of this increase is set at December 7, 2005.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the Veteran's VA Form 9 was not received within the required time frame, and thus did not meet the criteria for a timely Substantive Appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression.

The Board has remanded the case for compliance with legal requirements and to provide the Veteran an opportunity to submit evidence supporting his claims, including stressor verification.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for major depressive disorder and anxiety. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his active military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder are related to his service, warranting a grant of service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine if any current psychiatric disorder is related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional development of his Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for depression and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a current diagnosis of depression related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disability, including PTSD and major depression, is not service-connected as there is no credible evidence to support the occurrence of the in-service stressors. The preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that any of the claimed stressors actually occurred.

The Veteran's claims for skin disability, PTSD, and hypertension have been reopened. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disability to include PTSD and/or depression remains pending as new evidence has not established a link between the claimed stressors and current symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and TDIU/DEA were denied as the earliest date of entitlement was March 1, 2002 when VA issued a new regulation expanding presumptive service connection for fibromyalgia, major depressive disorder (secondary to fibromyalgia), and irritable bowel syndrome.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder and for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service, nor was there sufficient evidence linking them to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's pension claim is granted as he meets the requirements for non-service-connected pension due to his severe back impairment, which has been determined by SSA to be disabling.