Depression decisions — 2016

The Veteran's PTSD, with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, more nearly approximates total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability and found that new evidence supports this reopening. The Board also determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his combat experiences in Vietnam, leading to a grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability was denied. His claim for service connection of a depressive disorder and/or PTSD was granted, but he is still seeking service connection for a bilateral knee disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected depressive disorder and its impact on his ability to work.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety and depressive disorder, sleep apnea, thyroid condition, sinusitis, and a foot condition related to a cold injury. The appeals are based on new evidence received since the previous denial.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be related to her service, while her esophageal disability is not shown to have been incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule VA examinations and obtain additional evidence for the issues of PTSD evaluation, bilateral upper extremities disability, and TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depression, is being remanded due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA examination opinions. The case will be returned to the Board for additional development.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA mental health examination to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder is related to his period of active service, and for obtaining outstanding treatment records from Tampa VA facilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to address the etiology of his claimed acquired psychiatric disorder and migraine headaches.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral leg paralysis was reopened and granted. Service connection for depression, related to his service-connected TBI, chronic headaches, and hearing loss, was also granted. The claim for service connection for dizziness is pending as the evidence is insufficient to determine its relationship to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA records and a medical opinion from a psychiatrist to determine the nature of his current psychiatric disabilities and their likely etiology.

The Board found that the Veteran's reported medical expenses for 2004 and 2005 were not sufficient to reduce his countable income below the maximum annual pension rate, thus denying his claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, will be remanded to allow for a more thorough examination and opinion regarding the nature of his current diagnoses and their relationship to military service.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms prior to September 8, 2014 did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 50 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verification of all periods of active duty and inactive duty training, obtaining updated treatment records, corroborating stressors reported by the appellant, and scheduling a VA examination to determine if any current psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder has been rated at 50 percent since September 16, 2010. The Board granted a higher rating of 70 percent effective the same date for his PTSD and also found that he is unemployable due to these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left wrist sprain and right ankle sprain was received on April 10, 2014. The Board finds that the earliest claim for entitlement to benefits for both a left wrist sprain and a right ankle sprain was received on April 10, 2014.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability (to include depression and anxiety), cervical spine disability, hypertension, right knee disability, left knee disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, and low back disability are all related to his active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, OCD, and PTSD, finding that there was no valid diagnosis of PTSD based on verified in-service stressors. The Veteran's depression is not considered secondary to his service-connected disabilities.