Depression decisions — 2012

The Board found that the Veteran's major depressive disorder with psychotic traits was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service, and is not related to any service-connected disabilities. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders were not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, including any alleged traumatic events during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional service treatment records and private medical records. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the case can be fully adjudicated, including obtaining updated medical records and a new VA examination to determine if service connection for PTSD should be granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, dysthymic disorder, major depression, and anxiety disorder, are related to his service in Vietnam.

The VA granted service connection for depression and assigned a 30 percent rating, effective March 9, 2005.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder and alcohol abuse disorder resulted in occupational and social impairment, but did not meet the criteria for a higher rating than 70 percent.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. However, the preponderance of the evidence is against finding any link between the Veteran's current psychiatric conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for groin or scrotal pain, left carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic lumbar strain, spastic colon, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and hemorrhoids have been denied. The claim for major depressive disorder was granted with a non-compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD, Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and Panic Disorder, are related to her in-service sexual assault stressors. Service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including depressive disorder, claimed as a nervous disorder, has been denied. The evidence does not support the presence of such a condition.

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

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional evidence and a VA psychiatric examination to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for his psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further proceedings, including scheduling a hearing before the Board.

The Veteran died due to an acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease. The VA did not provide any fault in the care provided, as evidenced by a VA opinion that found no evidence of negligence or error on their part.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was noted at entry into service and is presumed to have existed prior to service. It was not aggravated by military service.,Left ear hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred in service.,Seizure disorder was not diagnosed during the appeal period.,PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and is not considered a compensable disability for VA purposes.,Tinnitus was not related to service. Lung disability, including granulomatous disease and bilateral pulmonary nodules, was also not related to service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service.,Thoracolumbar spine disability and cervical spine disability are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of his headaches and depression, as well as potential interrelatedness between these conditions.