Depression decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorders, specifically depression and generalized anxiety disorder, were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for service-connected major depression/severe anxiety is granted. The effective date for the grant of service connection for COPD is set at June 11, 2006.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder, finding no evidence of a verified in-service stressor or direct relationship to service. The claim for reopening the dental disorder was also denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, were not related to his active duty service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, a depressive disorder, and an anxiety disorder, was incurred in or is otherwise etiologically related to her military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and clarification of the Veteran's psychiatric claims, including a review of his August 2013 examination report.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bipolar II disorder is incurred in service and grants service connection for this condition. The claim for PTSD was denied as there was no verified stressor.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current acquired psychiatric disability other than substance abuse, and thus service connection cannot be granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied, and the application to reopen a claim for service connection for a back disability has also been denied. The remaining claims are either not supported by new evidence or do not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and conducting a new examination.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for polysubstance use in partial sustained remission, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder. The existing evidence does not establish a causal relationship between these conditions and service.

The Board denied service connection for a chronic low back disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) as the evidence did not establish that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that another remand is necessary to obtain an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and to address his TDIU claim, which is dependent on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA psychiatric examination and review of his stressor claims. The case will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Veteran's major depression and anxiety disorder are found to be related to his service. However, there is no evidence of a diagnosed PTSD due to an in-service stressor.

The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder and depression with suicidal ideation, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of burning foot syndrome, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and depressive disorder, are related to his military service. The Veteran claims that these conditions were caused by an in-service sexual assault.