Depression decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, is secondary to his service-connected hepatitis C. The Veteran does not have a diagnosis of PTSD. His venereal disease (genital herpes) began in service.

The Veteran's hepatitis, bilateral hearing loss, and other conditions are all found to be related to his service. The Veteran is granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for depression and remanded it to consider whether new evidence supports reopening, as well as whether any current psychiatric disorder is related to service or a hysterectomy.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, the highest available rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The Board also granted service connection for a right ankle disorder and a psychiatric disorder (PTSD with major depressive disorder), both secondary to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for depression. However, further examination is needed to determine if his current psychiatric disability is related to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA disability records and considering all evidence of record.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for additional development to determine the appropriate rating for dementia due to head trauma, service connection for a scar under the left eye, and service connection for a psychiatric disorder to include depression as secondary to dementia due to head trauma. The claim for individual unemployability is also being remanded.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for manic-depressive psychosis, finding that the evidence did not warrant such an increase.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing. The issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder, PTSD, and anxiety, remains unresolved.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and lack of consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding her history of psychiatric symptoms. A new VA examination is needed to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorder, including depression.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder/PTSD. The evidence shows that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his military experiences in Vietnam.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including anxiety, depression, and PTSD as the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam or Southwest Asia. The stressors reported were not credible, and there was no evidence of a nexus between current symptoms and service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus and a rating in excess of 50 percent for bipolar disorder with alcohol abuse and depression, as well as his claim for an earlier effective date. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and remanded it to the RO. The Veteran's service in a location involving exposure to hostile military activity is sufficient to reopen the claim.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder has been rated at 30 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Board found that the Veteran's psychiatric disability, including PTSD and depression, is not service-connected due to lack of evidence supporting a nexus between his current conditions and in-service sexual assault.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression is being remanded due to incomplete development. The VA examiner was not provided with accurate information regarding the Veteran's alleged stressor in Korea.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disorder and acquired psychiatric disorder (other than PTSD) are not service-connected.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar and depressive disorders, finding that the Veteran's conditions are not causally or etiologically related to his military service. The Board also found that drug addiction was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an ankle disorder and a low back disorder were not reopened, and his claim for an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for depressive disorder with dementia was denied.