Depression decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder and a left knee disability, have been denied. The rating for diabetes mellitus remains unchanged.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD and cervical spine disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted TDIU based on the benefit of the doubt.

The Board has denied service connection for cold injuries and depression. The claims of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim for service connection for bilateral flat feet, generalized primary osteoarthritis, knee replacement resulting from bone cancer, hypertension, prostate cancer, diabetes, and migraine headaches are remanded due to missing service treatment records.

The Board has remanded the claims for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) due to incomplete records, including service personnel records. The VA will seek additional evidence and conduct a mental health assessment to determine if the veteran's anxiety disorder is related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal of the initial disability ratings for tinnitus, PTSD with major depressive disorder prior to March 7, 2016, lumbar arthritis, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, and left ear hearing loss has been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal for tinnitus. The remaining issues are being remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and evaluations to determine appropriate disability ratings for his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, depression, anxiety, and mood disorder, is also denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence corroborating the claimed in-service stressors.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in relative equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension was caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder. The claim for service connection for hypertension is granted.

The Board has remanded several issues including service connection claims for various disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim and an earlier effective date claim for the award of service connection for coronary artery disease. The appellant is required to provide updated VA treatment records and identify any outstanding private treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and other conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of August 10, 2009. The Board granted an effective date of August 10, 2009 for the grant of Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety and depressive disorders, may be service connected. However, further examination is needed to determine if any of these conditions were aggravated by service or if they are superimposed on a pre-existing personality disorder.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder have been rated at 30 percent prior to June 27, 2013; 50 percent from June 27, 2013 to April 25, 2016; and 100 percent since April 25, 2016.

The Board has granted service connection for acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, specifically bipolar disorder and dysthymic disorder, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected residuals of right pelvis fracture. The claim for PTSD remains remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examinations and evaluations to determine the current severity of his service-connected conditions, including PTSD, migraine headaches, right hip disability, ventricular arrhythmia, and tinnitus. The effective date for service connection remains January 24, 2013.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as psychotic disorder NOS and depressive disorder NOS. The Veteran's psychiatric disorder was present in service and has continued since that time.

The Board denied service connection for lumbosacral degenerative joint disease, bilateral knee disability, bilateral ankle disability, respiratory disability and acquired psychiatric disability (specifically depressive disorder). The decision found that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and depression was denied in April 2009. He filed to reopen the claim in July 2011, which resulted in a grant of service connection with an effective date of July 21, 2011.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for depression as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss because there is no competent evidence of a diagnosis of any clinical psychiatric disorder, including depression.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and depression are all granted service connection.,Service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis of the right hand, arthritis of the left hand, fibromyalgia, cervical spine disability, thoracic spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, hypothyroidism, and a sleep-related disability (including obstructive sleep apnea) are remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for obstructive defects, skin disabilities, fibromyalgia, headaches, and depressive disorder have been dismissed.,Service connection has been granted for fibromyalgia, to include bilateral shoulder and hand joint pain.