Depression decisions — 2013

The Board found that the Veteran's back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service and arthritis may not be presumed to have been so incurred.,There is no competent evidence relating any current psychiatric diagnosis to an incident of service or a service-connected disability. The Board concluded that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for PTSD, Major Depression, or Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizoaffective, dysthymic and depressive disorders and paranoid schizophrenia, is not shown to be etiologically related to his active military service. The Board finds that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder) is secondary to his non-service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional VA medical records and seeking clarification on the Veteran's claim for Section 1151 compensation. The TDIU claim is also deferred until all claims are adjudicated.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the Veteran's report of service with a classified mission in Korea can be corroborated and to make specific determinations regarding stressor existence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA opinion on the etiology of his psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be service-connected as it meets the criteria for a current diagnosis and was incurred during active military service based on combat stressors.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA treatment records. The issue of entitlement to service connection for PTSD will be reconsidered after this development.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary due to the need for additional medical examination and development of records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for major depression has been reopened and granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's current diagnoses of PTSD and major depression are related to her active military service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder is granted, with the disorders found to be related to in-service stressors and not due to a pre-existing personality disorder.

The Board has ordered additional development to address whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus aggravated his diagnosed depressive disorder, and to obtain treatment records from the Richmond VA Medical Center.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of frost bite, chronic depression, a nonspecific headache disability (claimed as chronic migraines), fatigue syndrome, and prostate cancer are all denied. The Veteran also had his PTSD rating increased to 30 percent effective July 27, 2006, but the claim for an earlier effective date is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication due to inadequacy of a previous VA examination.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is currently rated at 70 percent prior to March 12, 2012. The rating agency has determined that the current level of impairment does not warrant a higher rating under the applicable criteria.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate examination and other issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as depression and PTSD, is service-connected. The decision grants this claim.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed psychiatric and orthopedic disabilities, as well as to ensure proper consideration of all relevant evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional evidence and conduct further examinations. The issues of service connection for a psychiatric disability, including major depressive disorder, and PTSD are the focus of this decision.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD based on personal assault. The evidence supports a direct relationship between PTSD and service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA psychiatric examination and consideration of his TDIU claim.