Depression decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically depression NOS, had its onset during service and is therefore granted service connection.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including hepatitis C and its secondary effects. The Board has scheduled a videoconference hearing to address these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's anxiety disorder and depressive disorder are related to his military service, resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran is seeking compensation for psychiatric disability, including PTSD, as a result of treatment at a VA facility. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to assess the nature and etiology of his mental health disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, panic attacks, depression and bipolar disorder, are related to her service and grants her claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that new and material evidence supports reopening the claim. The Veteran's statements regarding his experiences during service are considered in determining whether a current psychiatric condition is related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and depression, were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The VA examiner determined that her stressors did not meet the clinical criteria for a traumatic event and thus could not support a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's depressive disorder not otherwise specified was aggravated by his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus, allowing for secondary service connection.

The Board found no current evidence of a seizure disorder and denied service connection for this condition. The Veteran's prostate cancer was not linked to his military service, and the claim is denied. Service connection for PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, or anxiety with panic attacks could not be established based on the available evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development including obtaining VA treatment records and a supplemental report from the June 2012 examiner.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected depressive disorder and herpes simplex virus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues for a Board hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected major depression with psychotic features is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination by a psychiatrist.

The Board finds that the service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute substantially to the Veteran's death. The medical evidence does not support a conclusion that the service-connected conditions caused excessive acetaminophen use, which led to fulminant hepatitis and sepsis.

The Veteran's dysthymic disorder, characterized by transient or mild symptoms that decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, is not rated higher than 10 percent prior to June 8, 2011.,As of June 8, 2011, the Veteran's dysthymic disorder, characterized by subjective complaints that appeared out of proportion to and inconsistent with objective examination findings, does not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU, finding that he did not meet the criteria for such a change in his disability rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, depressive disorder, and cognitive disorder, are related to his service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and lumbosacral strain, prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remands them for additional development. The claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder (including depression) is denied.