Depression decisions — 2016

The Board found that the Veteran's Major Depressive Disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not presumed to have been incurred therein. The claim for secondary service connection based on his service-connected disabilities was also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The Board found that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims of hepatitis C and a psychiatric condition being related to service. The claim for hepatitis C was denied as there were no credible records indicating air gun inoculations during service, and the diagnosis was not linked to any in-service event or injury. For the psychiatric condition, while the Veteran has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, the evidence does not establish that it began during service or is related to a pre-existing condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a video conference hearing and because his statement of disagreement regarding depression and left seventh rib fracture has not yet been addressed.

The Veteran seeks service connection for depression and related disorders. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain updated VA treatment records, schedule the Veteran for a psychiatric examination, and determine if his current psychiatric conditions are related to military service.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, effective November 30, 2011. The Board finds that the Veteran's PTSD warrants a higher rating of 70 percent.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia, major depression, and anxiety disorder (NOS).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD and depression, is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his in-service experiences. The issue of service connection for a recurrent skin disorder remains under consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety and depression disorders, and a disability manifested by disturbance of sleep, pre-existed service and was not aggravated by in-service injury or incident. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran died from respiratory arrest/pneumonia, with underlying causes including congestive heart failure/coronary artery disease, renal failure, and multiple system atrophy (MSA). The service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute to his death. There is no evidence linking the metallic foreign bodies from gunshot wounds to MSA.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was granted service connection. His hypertension and shoulder disabilities were each granted a 20% disability rating.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability (depression with panic attacks) was granted a 30 percent rating prior to November 7, 2014.

The Veteran's current PTSD with depression had its onset during combat service, and the Board finds that the criteria for service connection are met.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and remanded to obtain additional evidence, including VA treatment records and service personnel records. The Veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD and depression.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of service connection for schizoaffective disorder. On de novo review, the Board finds that service connection is warranted for a variety of psychiatric disabilities including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and schizoaffective disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for his acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and adjustment disorder with depressed mood, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and consideration of new evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim to establish service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that it was decided on the merits and not based on new evidence or a presumption.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to the need for additional information regarding his employment history and a VA medical opinion evaluating the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to work.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the highest available rating under the schedular criteria. The Board has granted a TDIU based on service-connected disabilities.