Depression decisions — 2018

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran has a current diagnosis of a psychiatric condition, and whether any diagnosed condition is related to service, including claimed in-service stressors.

The Veteran's MDD is rated at 50 percent, and the Board has remanded for further evaluation of her hip disabilities and TDIU claim. The effective date for the increased rating remains pending.

The Veteran's claim to reopen service connection for anxiety and depressive disorders is granted. The claim for lumbar spine disability is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for lower back disorder, neck disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, pneumonia, upper extremities disorder, lower extremities disorder, bones and joints disorder, dizziness, GERD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and erectile dysfunction. Additional development is needed to obtain complete service records and private medical records.

The Veteran's application for a clothing allowance due to wear and tear of his clothing from using a back brace was denied because the evidence did not show consistent use of the brace, which is required for the claim.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining outstanding VA treatment records and conducting new examinations to assess his acquired psychiatric disorder and groin muscle injury.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been reopened and granted. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, variably diagnosed as PTSD and unspecified depressive disorder, is also granted. The appeal for service connection for Parkinson's disease due to Agent Orange exposure is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions and their relationship to service. The Veteran will need to undergo a comprehensive VA psychiatric examination to determine if her PTSD, mood disorder, major depressive disorder, and borderline personality disorder are related to her military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. Service connection for bilateral shoulder disorder, bilateral knee disorder, tinea pedis, acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), and bruxism are all denied.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that the Veteran's current depressive disorder is not related to his military service or his service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder of the left hand, back and stomach/abdominal area has been reopened. Service connection is granted for PTSD, depressive disorder and panic disorder. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, residuals of circumcision (penile pain), metatarsalgia with hammertoe, right knee disorder and left knee disorder are all denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression. The Veteran's claim is being reopened on new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is reopened due to new and material evidence. The claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's depressive and anxiety disorders are found to be caused by his service-connected knee disabilities, leading to the grant of secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, and depression due to incomplete procedural development related to radiation exposure during service. The Under Secretary for Benefits will be referred the case for further consideration under 38 C.F.R. § 3.311.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted. The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the claims of service connection for PTSD, a neck disorder, and a chronic disorder manifested by headaches, claimed as head injury, brain damage, and mental damage.

The Veteran's service connection for Parkinson’s disease and related disabilities, including dementia and depression, incomplete paralysis of the median nerve, incomplete aphonia, masked facies of the seventh cranial nerve, and erectile dysfunction, is granted with effective dates starting from August 3, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to August 25, 2015 for the grant of service connection for major depressive disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder is being remanded. The issue of entitlement to a higher initial disability rating for his service-connected psychiatric conditions is also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues include reopening service connection for psychiatric disorders other than adjustment disorder with anxiety, determining current severity of adjustment disorder with anxiety, and evaluating entitlement to TDIU based on adjustment disorder with anxiety.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is currently rated as 50 percent disabling, and the Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his symptoms of reduced reliability and productivity due to psychiatric symptomatology. The appeal for a higher initial rating or TDIU has been denied.