Depression decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the case due to issues with verifying the Veteran's in-service stressors and obtaining his service treatment records, particularly regarding depression counseling while stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no evidence indicating that the Veteran has PTSD symptoms clearly separable from her already service-connected MDD.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating above 70 percent for MDD was denied due to a lack of evidence showing total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression and vaginal and uterine disability due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for left shoulder recurrent dislocation, major depressive disorder, and tinnitus. The claims are now considered on their merits.

The Veteran's claims for cervical cancer, pharyngitis, asthma, and acquired psychiatric disorders (including PTSD, anxiety, and depression) were denied. The claim for service connection for digestive diseases is remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD and associated chronic depressive disorder are related to his military service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for her mental disorders is being remanded due to the lack of relevant VA treatment records from October 2013 through October 2015, particularly those from her November 2014 in-patient hospitalization.

Service connection for a left knee disability, depression, and lumbar spine disability is granted.,Service connection for right knee disability, right hip disability, and left ankle disability is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for fatigue and an acquired psychiatric disorder, as secondary to service-connected tinnitus. The claims will be reviewed with VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral eye condition to include glaucoma is denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for somatic dysfunction, major depressive disorder, and anxiety as secondary to his service-connected disabilities is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability is rated at 70 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating of more than 70 percent is not warranted due to the lack of total occupational and social impairment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including right knee strain, left shoulder condition, low back condition, hypertension, anxiety, and depression. The decision was based on a finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the claim for right knee strain.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient examination findings and need for further development. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorders, and sleep apnea are being addressed.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that the Veteran did not have a chronic condition in service or within presumptive periods, and there was no evidence of continuity of symptoms. The Board also found that the current conditions are not related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions and an additional VA examination is needed to determine their etiology.

The Veteran's rating for other specified trauma and stressor related disorder (previously diagnosed as PTSD with major depression) is denied, as his disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder and alcoholism, finding that the evidence did not support a claim of in-service causation or aggravation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for major depressive disorder as secondary to his service-connected back and knee conditions due to a lack of current diagnosis and credible opinion linking the condition to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent since July 2013 and denied for an increased rating.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for his acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety and depressive disorders, was denied. The Board found that the severity, frequency, and duration of the Veteran’s symptoms did not more closely approximate total occupational and social impairment.,An entitlement to a higher rating for his right shoulder disability is remanded due to new evidence showing increased severity since the last examination in December 2015. Additionally, TDIU was also remanded as employment status information is unclear.