Depression decisions — 2011

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records of inpatient or outpatient treatment for depression at Wilford Hall and determining whether the Veteran is receiving SSA disability benefits. The Veteran will also be scheduled for a VA examination to determine if he has current psychiatric disabilities that began during service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for a right hip disability prior to the Board's decision. The remaining claims of service connection for depression, rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee and back disabilities are being remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to service exposure, and he has been granted service connection for this condition. The claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (to include PTSD and major depressive disorder) remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional service records and for a new VA examination to determine the etiology of his lumbar spine disability and depressive disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing at the St. Paul RO due to his request.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his service records and a VA examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The evidence did not establish a link between any diagnosed conditions and military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a VA mental disorders examination and obtaining relevant medical records.

The Board denied the appellant's accrued benefits claim, finding that the Veteran had pending claims for increased disability rating and service connection for bilateral leg disabilities and depression as secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain at the time of his death.

The Board has granted a TDIU effective June 16, 2008. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are the primary reason for his inability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the Veteran currently has any psychiatric disorders, including depression, PTSD and anxiety, that are related to service. The examiner is instructed to provide an opinion on whether the stressor was sexual assault or combat exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bruised flexor muscle of the right forearm, major depressive disorder, and ununited fracture of the right wrist) combine to render him unemployable. As such, he is granted a TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder has been rated at 50 percent since June 20, 2005.

The Board found that the Veteran's injuries from the January 1992 motor vehicle accident were not incurred in the line of duty due to his own alcohol abuse, and thus denied service connection for residuals of an odontoid fracture of the C2 vertebra, impotence, and depression.

The Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for a generalized anxiety disorder with depressive disorder not otherwise specified and for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU) have been remanded by the Board. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Board has found that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected. The issues of service connection for a psychiatric disability, sleep disorder, and bilateral hearing loss remain on appeal as additional development is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is required to determine if the Veteran suffers from PTSD and whether any current acquired psychiatric disorder, including depressive disorder, is related to his active military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and development due to the presence of multiple psychiatric conditions, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorder. The issue remains about service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD and MDD have been rated at 50 percent since June 3, 2008. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from that date.