Depression decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and a disability manifested by fatigue are denied as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The claim for service connection for hypothyroidism is remanded due to additional development being necessary.

The Veteran has withdrawn their appeals for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, and tinnitus. As such, the Board dismisses these issues.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to November 6, 2006 resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty understanding complex commands, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing effective work and social relationships.

The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD and concluded that service connection is not warranted for any other acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's PTSD with anxiety and depression symptoms resulted in occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, warranting a 30 percent evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine his periods of ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA, and to schedule him for a VA examination to evaluate the relationship between any current disabilities (lumbar spine disability, chronic pain, and/or depression) and his active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical records. The issues of an increased rating for depressive disorder and TDIU are pending.

The Veteran's depression is caused by his service-connected right ankle and bilateral foot disabilities, thus service connection for depression has been granted.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is related to his military service and he has been granted service connection for this condition. The remaining issues of service connection are being remanded as they involve complex medical determinations.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for PTSD with secondary major depressive disorder and history of substance dependence is denied as there was no formal or informal claim filed prior to March 10, 2004.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disability and granted it, finding that an unspecified depressive disorder is etiologically related to active service. The TDIU issue remains pending as the rating for the psychiatric disability needs to be assigned first.

The Veteran's MDD is rated at 30% from May 22, 2009 to July 17, 2012 and at 70% thereafter. The RO restored the 100% rating for hepatitis C effective January 1, 2010. SMC at the housebound rate is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining SSA disability determination(s) and associated medical records, providing a VA examination of the feet and skin to evaluate the nature and current severity of his service-connected bilateral foot callosities, and readjudicating the claims based on the updated evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed major depressive disorder began in service and has persisted since then, granting his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD, hepatitis C, and major depressive disorder. The claim for PTSD was reopened but still denied due to lack of a verified in-service stressor. The claim for hepatitis C was not reopened as new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim. Major depressive disorder was also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as depressive disorder and anxiety, is causally related to his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus. Therefore, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder with major depressive disorder has been rated at 70 percent disabling since January 21, 2011. The Board finds that the evidence shows total occupational and social impairment due to symptoms such as flat affect, impaired judgment, and difficulty in establishing effective relationships.

The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent rating. The appeal for an initial rating higher than 50 percent is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depressive disorder, was not caused by an event, disease, or injury during active service and is otherwise etiologically unrelated to active service. The claim for residuals of a pelvic injury was also denied as there was no evidence linking any current disability to his in-service separation of the pelvis at the pubic ligament.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder has been rated at 70 percent since May 5, 2010. The rating is based on the criteria for a higher evaluation due to increased symptoms and impairment.