Depression decisions — 2014

The Veteran's hypertension was not diagnosed during service or within one year of discharge, and there is no competent evidence relating it to service. The Board denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in an impairment of her ability to prepare for, obtain, or retain employment consistent with her abilities, aptitudes, and interests. Therefore, she does not have an employment handicap for vocational rehabilitation purposes.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for PTSD and finds that new evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD related to in-service stressors, including sexual assault by a supervisor and physical abuse by her spouse. The Veteran's symptoms are linked to these events.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of his acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disabilities did not manifest during his period of active military service and are not otherwise related to such service.

The Board has previously granted service connection for a cognitive disorder due to head injury. The current appeal is about whether the Veteran's depression, anxiety, and dysthymic disorder are related to his in-service head injury.

The Board has ordered a new VA examination to clarify the Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD and major depressive disorder. The examination must consider the Veteran's stressors, symptoms, and assertions regarding his service experience.

The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety and/or a schizoaffective disorder, which he asserts was caused or aggravated by his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The case is REMANDED to obtain additional medical opinion on whether any currently diagnosed psychiatric disorder is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by the service-connected condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen these claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, including depression, is granted. The claim to reopen the issue of entitlement to service connection for PTSD is also granted.

The Veteran's depression is found to be related to his service-connected left shoulder disability, and granted.,Right ear hearing loss does not meet the VA criteria for a current disability.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of any current psychiatric disability, including major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. The Veteran's in-service counselling for nervousness may be associated with his current symptoms.

The Board has dismissed the issues of service connection for loss of the #8 tooth due to dental trauma, and new and material evidence claims respecting his cervical spine and headache disorders as the Veteran wishes to withdraw these appeals. The psychiatric disorder claim remains under review.

The Veteran's PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder are found to be related to his verified in-service stressors, leading to a grant of service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to obtain unit records from Fort Hood and to provide a VA examination to determine if any psychiatric disability is related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for major depressive disorder is related to his service-connected kidney failure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining service mental health records and VA treatment records. The psychiatric disorder claim will be decided based on the merits of the evidence presented, while the initial rating claim for traumatic brain injury residuals requires a new examination as there may have been a material change in condition since the last examination.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for an acquired psychiatric disability or a back disability due to lack of evidence showing such conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's cause of death, a self-inflicted gunshot wound, is not considered service-connected due to the lack of evidence linking his psychiatric conditions (diagnosed as depression and anxiety) to his active duty service or his service-connected prostatitis.

The Board has granted service connection for Major Depressive Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are due to in-service personal assaults and racial discrimination. The issues of reopening service connection for depression and granting service connection for PTSD have been resolved.