Depression decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a psychiatric disability related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for numbness and pain of the right lower extremity, left lower extremity, migraines, hypertension, and a psychiatric disability (anxiety disorder and depression).,There is no current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Veteran's service connection for depression is granted. Effective dates are denied for lumbar radiculopathy, right and left lower extremities. The case is remanded for further examinations to determine the nature and severity of hip and knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea has been denied as there is no competent evidence linking the condition to his active duty service.,Service connection was also denied for a compensable rating for scar, rectum status post-surgery. The medical evidence did not support a finding that the scar aggravated or caused the Veteran's sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety. The VA examiner found no evidence of a current psychiatric disorder related to service.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, finding no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability, lumbar spine disability, and psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depressive disorder) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's PTSD and depressive disorder are currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board finds that his symptoms do not more closely approximate the level of impairment required for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasons and bases for denying service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including major depressive disorder and personality disorder, for accrued benefits purposes.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a psychiatric disability has been reopened, but the evidence does not meet the criteria to establish service connection.,Service connection was denied for lumbosacral strain (low back disability) and headaches due to lack of in-service diagnosis or causation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral knee degenerative joint disease was denied, but his claim for unspecified depressive disorder with opioid use disorder in remission was granted and effective from January 5, 2011. The decision is mixed as it includes both a grant of service connection and denial of another issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and adjustment disorder with depression, pre-existed service and was not aggravated by service. Therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depressive disorder, is found to have manifested in service and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected left strain with insertional cyst at patella, right knee strain is found to aggravate his depression. As a result, the claim for service connection for depression has been granted.

The Board has decided to expand the issue of service connection for an acquired mental health condition, including depression, and remands it due to a duty to assist error regarding the relationship between the Veteran's diagnosed adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood and his service-connected left knee condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence to corroborate the Veteran's reported stressors and a need for an opinion on the etiological relationship between any current psychiatric disability and his active service.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is granted service connection as it is proximately due to or a result of his service-connected disabilities. However, the Veteran's erectile dysfunction was not incurred in or aggravated by service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded several issues, including the reopening of a previously denied claim for major depressive disorder, as well as claims for tinnitus, hypertension, headaches, PTSD, special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance and/or housebound status, left wrist limitation of motion, and Parkinson's disease under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The Veteran's osteopenia, low back and cervical spine disorders, urinary incontinence, and depressive disorder are all granted service connection. The Veteran is also awarded a TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD with Major Depressive Disorder is rated at a 50 percent disability rating for the period prior to September 28, 2018. For the period from September 28, 2018, a higher than 70 percent rating is denied.