Depression decisions — 2017

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for depression was withdrawn. The Board has granted service connection for left eye floaters, finding that the condition is as likely as not related to his military service.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability, specifically PTSD, more nearly approximates the criteria for a 70 percent rating due to symptoms such as suicidal ideation, inability to establish and maintain effective relations, near-continuous depression, and difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted. The other service-connected conditions are also rated appropriately.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for additional development due to outstanding VA and private treatment records, as well as missing service personnel records. The case will be returned to the Board after all necessary development is completed.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depression and panic disorder has been rated at 50 percent since June 20, 2013. The rating is based on the severity of symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, panic attacks, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, headaches, and onychomycosis of both feet to further develop the evidence. The claims are currently denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his PTSD and depression.

The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder and depression have been granted a higher disability rating of 70 percent, effective from the date of this decision. The Board has also determined that the Veteran is entitled to TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder with psychotic features resulted in occupational and social impairment, but did not meet the criteria for a higher initial rating or TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for depression and mood disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine spondylosis and degenerative disc disease, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran. The hip and lower extremity disability claim is remanded due to outstanding records.

The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran currently has PTSD and depression that are at least as likely as not etiologically related to his service, including witnessing routine physical abuse and humiliation of soldiers and encountering a hurricane while aboard the USS Luce. As such, service connection for PTSD and depression is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnosed psychiatric disorders are not etiologically related to his active duty service and denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded due to the failure to appear for a scheduled Travel Board hearing. The case will be rescheduled and the Veteran will be provided with one last opportunity to be heard.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and/or schizoaffective disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for PTSD with MDD was granted, and the effective date of service connection is set at June 1, 2010. The Veteran's cerebral infarction disability has been rated based on separate residuals since March 1, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, which includes PTSD and major depressive disorder, was found to be commensurate with a disability picture that equated to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas. The appellant's claims for an increased rating of the service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder and TDIU were denied.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for major depressive disorder as secondary to migraine headaches, finding that the Veteran's claim was not entitled to such a retroactive review due to the lack of probative value in newly acquired service records and the absence of evidence supporting direct service connection.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for a VA social and industrial survey to assess the impact of his service-connected psychiatric disability on his employment capacity.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current major depression is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected anxiety disorder, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further evidentiary development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a hearing. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.