Depression decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, specifically major depressive disorder and paraphilia. The VA must obtain all outstanding VA treatment records and schedule the Veteran for a VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for major depressive disorder is granted, and the appeal is remanded to determine if his current depression is related to military service.

The Board has decided that a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, other than his personality disorder, is related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an error in using DSM-5 criteria instead of DSM-IV during a previous examination. The Veteran needs to be examined again to determine if he has any acquired psychiatric disabilities, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and whether these are related to his service.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to service-connected sarcoidosis.,Greater trochanteric bursitis of the right hip and left hip are each rated at 10%.,Low back pain with degenerative joint disease does not meet criteria for a higher rating.,Left knee and right knee degenerative joint diseases are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for nervous condition (claimed as depression), pulmonary condition, erectile dysfunction, respiratory problems, and migraines have been denied.,New evidence has not been received to reopen the claims of service connection for nervous condition (claimed as depression) and pulmonary condition.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claim of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder was also denied.,Service connection could not be established as the Veteran did not have a current disability that began during or was related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, as the evidence did not show that they precluded him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of major depressive disorder and remanded his lower back disability claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability is reopened.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, to include degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the cervical spine, is reopened.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include depression, is reopened. The Veteran was granted entitlement to service connection for major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. However, the appeals for other conditions remain pending as they require further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied as there is no credible evidence linking his current condition to military service.,Service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, with the presumption that it was incurred during active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but has remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability (claimed as post-traumatic stress disorder) is rated at 30 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant an increased rating to 50 percent or above.

The Board has vacated its previous decision and is remanding the claims for additional development due to failure to provide proper notice of scheduled VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and other related conditions, is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and clarification of his claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of the Appellant's contentions regarding her husband's mental health conditions and alleged herbicide exposure. The VA must obtain a formal finding from the JSRRC regarding the Veteran’s alleged herbicide exposure, and develop the Appellant's claims for service connection for various disabilities.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bipolar disease, PTSD, and depression has been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The appeal is granted in part.

All issues are remanded for further development. The Veteran needs to provide records of his right hip treatment around 1981 and SSA records. A VA examination is needed for the right hip, hypertension, and psychiatric disorders.,The Veteran's leg amputation claim requires an addendum opinion from a clinician addressing whether VA negligence caused or foreseeable additional disability.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for residuals of a gunshot wound to the neck with retained missile, including as secondary to service-connected PTSD and depressive disorder due to the need for further examination and consideration.