Depression decisions — 2012

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, mood disorder, dysthymic disorder, and depression and anxiety, are found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and panic disorder with agoraphobia, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of her medical records and consideration of an in-service personal assault stressor.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed PTSD and major depressive disorder are incurred in, or caused by, his military service. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorders did not originate in service or for many years thereafter and are not related to any incident during active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further examination and development of his psychiatric disability claims, including PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder, NOS has been rated at 30 percent prior to December 9, 2011 and granted a TDIU rating effective from December 9, 2011.

The Veteran's claim for earlier effective dates was denied as his application for benefits was received by VA on January 18, 2007, which is the date he contacted the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) office. The one-year deadline for filing a claim after separation from service has expired.

The Veteran claims service connection for depression, which he attributes to a traumatic event during boot camp. The Board finds that additional VA examination and medical opinion are needed to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service entrance or was aggravated by service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is not shown to meet the criteria for a higher initial disability rating, and his claim for loss of use of the right foot was denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD, but has found that a VA psychiatric examination is needed to determine if any current acquired psychiatric disability (including depressive disorder) may be related to service. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder was evaluated at 50 percent from October 15, 1999 to July 18, 2002. The Board denied a higher evaluation for this period.

The Veteran's psychiatric symptoms resulted in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks from September 28, 2009 to February 8, 2010. The VA examinations did not find the Veteran's symptoms severe enough to warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple claims for increased ratings and effective date determinations related to his service-connected disabilities. The Board has ordered additional development, including obtaining medical records and clarifying the application of certain regulations.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a herniated disc of the lumbar spine and left sciatic nerve damage, as secondary to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's skin disorders were not found to be related to his military service.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development to obtain missing service records, verify periods of active duty, and obtain VA and private treatment records. The Veteran's psychiatric disability status will also be re-evaluated.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD and a depressive disorder, finding that his experiences in active duty service are consistent with the places, types, and circumstances of his service. The Veteran was also diagnosed with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentations as a result of his time in active duty.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder and PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to address the nature and likely etiology of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression are related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for service connection of PTSD, evaluation in excess of 10 percent for left knee strain, and TDIU. The issues were related to new evidence that reopened the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have an innocently acquired psychiatric disability due to disease or injury incurred in service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.