Depression decisions — 2014

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to conflicting medical opinions and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a new VA examination to determine whether the Veteran currently has PTSD related to his reported stressors. The claim for tinnitus is also being remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's suicide was caused by a psychiatric disorder related to his military service, and grants service connection for the cause of death.

The Board found the Veteran's account of an in-service assault to be not credible due to inconsistencies with other evidence, and thus denied service connection for PTSD. The depressive disorder was granted on a direct basis.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to deficiencies in a previous VA examination. The Veteran must be afforded another VA examination and further development is needed, including verification of an alleged stressor.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability, neck condition, and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression). The decision also noted that there was no evidence of current disabilities or in-service injuries related to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development and an addendum VA examination. The Veteran's TDIU claim is part of a larger appeal, including claims for PTSD with depression and migraine headaches.

Service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied as the Veteran's current condition is not related to service.,Service connection for a psychiatric disorder, claimed as manic depressive disorder, was denied as there is no evidence of an in-service disease or injury that could be linked to the current condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression was granted with an effective date of June 14, 1991. The Board found that the aggravation of his service-connected back disability led to the development of depression.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since January 28, 2013, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the Veteran currently suffers from PTSD or any other diagnosed psychiatric disorder related to service.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD due to resolution of his claim. The remaining issue of service connection for a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD is denied as there is no evidence that it is related to military service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder, were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board found that the claimed stressor was not verified and thus did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, are related to his in-service sexual assault and therefore grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was incurred in active duty due to military sexual trauma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD and mental health conditions (claimed as anxiety and depression) are not related to service, including an in-service stressor. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for chronic depression, nonspecific headache disability (claimed as chronic migraines), fatigue syndrome, and prostate cancer were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability due to undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

The Board found that the Veteran's arthritis of bilateral upper and lower extremities did not manifest in service, within one year of service, or is related to service. The Board also found that her gout was not incurred in service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and providing the Veteran with proper VCAA notice. The issues of service connection for a bilateral knee disability and hepatitis C are also being remanded as they were not properly adjudicated on their de novo basis.

The Board finds that the Veteran's depression is secondary to her service-connected disabilities and grants service connection for a skin condition, including hyperkeratosis. The claim of service connection for a skin condition is granted as new and material evidence has been submitted.