Depression decisions — 2010

The Board found no evidence to support a service connection for any psychiatric disability, including depressive disorder. The Veteran's current diagnoses are attributed to alcohol abuse and not related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for PTSD and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD and linking it to in-service stressors.

The Veteran seeks service connection for depression, anxiety, poor sleep, and poor concentration, to include as secondary to bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. He also seeks TDIU benefits based on his service-connected disabilities. The case is being remanded due to the need for additional development including a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for depression as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected ventral hernia. The Veteran is currently rated at 20% for his ventral hernia.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, as a result of or related to events during his military service. The claim for drug and alcohol dependency was also denied because it is not proximately due to or caused by a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left hip and lumbar spine disabilities, affect a single body system (orthopedic) and her overall combined rating is 70 percent. The Board finds that the Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to her service-connected disabilities, thus granting TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD and Depression are attributable to service, warranting a grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for tinnitus was denied as the disability is already at its maximum schedular evaluation. The claim for TDIU based on service-connected disabilities was also denied due to the combined disability rating not meeting the required percentage criteria.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability, characterized by memory loss and depression with PTSD, is rated at 70 percent since December 29, 2002. This rating reflects significant occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, PTSD, and alcoholism are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's major depressive disorder is attributable to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found no credible evidence to support the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors, and thus denied service connection for PTSD. The Board also noted that there was insufficient evidence to establish a direct link between his current psychiatric conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of depressive disorder with anxiety that is related to his military service. Therefore, he cannot establish service connection for this condition.

The Veteran is seeking increased ratings for his service-connected disabilities and seeks to establish service connection for other conditions.,The Veteran is also seeking a compensable rating for recurrent otitis externa-media.,The Veteran is seeking an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic sinusitis with a history of allergic rhinitis.,The Veteran is seeking service connection for bronchial asthma, pseudofolliculitis barbae, lupus erythematous of the face, and Lyme disease.,The Veteran is also seeking service connection for depression.,The Veteran seeks service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae, lupus erythematous of the face, and Lyme disease.,The Veteran seeks service connection for depression.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development to consider whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is service-connected and if so, what specific conditions are covered by this decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, sleep apnea, allergic rhinitis (sinus problems), chronic eye disorder, and hypertension were all denied. The claim for residuals of a shrapnel wound to the leg was granted.

The Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits was denied as her bipolar disorder disability rating of 30% did not meet the requirement of being permanently and totally disabled.

The Veteran's PTSD, along with other psychiatric conditions, resulted in significant occupational and social impairment from April 7, 1999 to July 3, 2000. Effective July 3, 2000, the Veteran experienced total occupational and social impairment due to severe symptoms including depression with psychotic features, auditory hallucinations, suicidal trends, and ongoing psychosis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including depression and anxiety (claimed as psychiatric disorder), COPD, dementia, colitis, and hypothyroidism are denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset or association with service.