Depression decisions — 2019

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of an anxiety disorder and a higher rating for unspecified depressive disorder. The Veteran's left ankle disability was granted a 20% rating, but not in excess of that.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for major depression has been reopened, and the case is being remanded to determine if his pre-existing depression was aggravated by service or if any other psychiatric disability had its onset during active service.

The Veteran's hypertension, blood clots, aneurysm with stroke, seizure disorder, memory impairment, depressive disorder, sleep disorder, nerve pain, kidney disorder, and anemia are not service-connected.,Tinnitus was also denied as service-connected.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD with MDD and awarded attorney fees from past-due benefits. The issue of an earlier effective date for the award of dependency for the Veteran's father is remanded, as well as the reasonableness of attorney fees for the December 2014 rating decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting evidence of record regarding PTSD diagnosis and treatment, as well as the need for verification of stressors. The Veteran is also diagnosed with anxiety, insomnia, and depression.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder was denied as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD, and the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service connection for major depressive disorder is granted. The issues of initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD, and initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for lumbar stenosis prior to January 31, 2018; and a rating in excess of 20 percent thereafter are remanded.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's disability picture most nearly approximated the criteria for the current 70 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional VA treatment records and further examination or opinion, as the Veteran's current psychiatric diagnoses do not include PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, erectile dysfunction, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and depression were denied. The Veteran was granted a 10 percent rating for lumbar disc degeneration status post fusion, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome. The Veteran's claims for initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, disability ratings in excess of 50 percent for sleep apnea with insomnia, and disability ratings in excess of 10 percent for hypertension were denied.,The Veteran was not granted service connection for right ear hearing loss or erectile dysfunction. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

Service connection for major depressive disorder has been restored effective January 1, 2018.,The claims of service connection for back disability and right knee disability are still pending and will be remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and secondary service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a link to active duty service.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, GERD, depression, and tinnitus. The issues of service connection for these conditions are being remanded to the RO.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hepatitis C, diabetes mellitus type 2, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, anxiety, and depression due to outstanding service treatment records not being available. The Veteran is presumed to have had these conditions during his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the veteran's claims for further development due to missing medical records and incomplete submissions. The appellant will be asked to provide VA permission to obtain additional relevant medical records from various doctors.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, anxiety, and migraine headaches have been granted. The claim for insomnia was denied. Service connection has also been established for a left wrist disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied as there is no current disability.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and schizoaffective disorder, is also denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence that the in-service stressor occurred.

The Veteran's service-connected persistent depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent effective February 26, 2003. The earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits are granted.

The Veteran's high cholesterol, acquired psychiatric disorders (including PTSD, anxiety, and depression), astigmatism and refractive error of the eyes, frequent urination, crescentic IgA nephropathy with congenital left atrophic kidney condition, right knee disability, left ear hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, hypertension, and acid reflux are all denied as service connection. The Veteran's character of discharge for his period of active service from March 2007 to April 2012 is a bar to VA benefits.,The Veteran was not diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder or multiple personality disorder during his military service.