Depression decisions — 2017

The Veteran's initial and subsequent ratings for PTSD with depression, cannabis dependence, alcohol abuse in remission, and cocaine dependency in remission were denied. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as his service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a higher rating or service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, sinusitis, peptic ulcer disease, radiculopathy of the left upper and lower extremities, degenerative arthritis of the cervical and lumbar spine.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression and anxiety has been reopened, with new evidence indicating the conditions may be related to service. The Board finds that there is at least a 50% probability that any currently diagnosed psychiatric disorder had its onset in service or is otherwise causally related to service.

The Veteran was granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, specifically social phobia with depressive disorder, and hypertension/hypertensive vascular disease.,The Board found that the evidence clearly and unmistakably showed that these conditions had their onset during service.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal regarding an initial disability evaluation in excess of 70 percent for the service-connected psychiatric disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed unspecified depressive disorder is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's depressive disorder NOS has been rated at 70 percent since March 18, 2011. Her seizure disorder was also rated at 50 percent effective from April 4, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD or depressive disorder, and therefore cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, finding that there was no diagnosis of PTSD based on any claimed stressor or fear of hostile military activity and that the Veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy. The evidence did not establish a link between current symptoms and an in-service stressor.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to November 13, 2012 was shown to cause occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flashbacks, sleep disturbances, depression, hypervigilance, and occasional auditory hallucinations.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection on all issues related to her cervical strain, migraine headaches, depressive disorder, bilateral trigeminal nerve disorder, otalgia with dizziness and blurred vision, and scar, residual of trigeminal nerve injury are denied. The disabilities were granted effective from November 21, 2011.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU has been granted because his service-connected disabilities render him unemployable.

The Board finds that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability and is attributed to willful misconduct. The evidence does not support a finding of an established psychiatric diagnosis or alcohol abuse leading to his death.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and to ensure all relevant evidence is considered in the decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board has determined that further development is required prior to adjudicating the appellant's claim of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disorder. This includes obtaining VA and private treatment records, scheduling the Veteran for a VA psychiatric examination, and reviewing all submitted evidence.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for morbid obesity, as well as his claims for an effective date prior to May 30, 2003, and TDIU are all granted. The Veteran is also assigned a 80% disability rating for arthritis of the right knee.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability is not related to his active service, and therefore denied service connection for this condition.,Regarding the bilateral foot disability, the Board found no evidence of a separate diagnosis other than radicular pain secondary to the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder. Service connection was also denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and that the current 40 percent disability rating for post-concussive syndrome was appropriate.