Depression decisions — 2019

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and remanded to obtain verification of stressors, conduct a VA examination, and determine if any other acquired psychiatric disorders are related to military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence and need for clarification on service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and ADHD.

The Veteran's bilateral hip disability and other service-connected conditions have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since December 4, 2008. His TDIU claim is granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for psychiatric disorder, kidneys with cysts, and neurological disease have been granted. The case is remanded to obtain clarification on the diagnoses related to the Veteran’s kidneys and to clarify whether he has Parkinson’s disease.

The Veteran's appeal seeking a higher rating for major depressive disorder is dismissed. The claim for service connection of SI joint dysfunction disability is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder) and secondary service connection for substance abuse disorder (opioid use disorder), both related to the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of heat stroke, including cognitive impairment and depression, needs further development due to missing medical records.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, including as secondary to her service-connected persistent depressive disorder and asthma. The decision is based on evidence showing that the Veteran's sleep apnea is caused and/or aggravated by her service-connected psychiatric disability and asthma.

The Board's decision is vacated due to the submission of a detailed brief by the Veteran's representative after the March 2019 decision, which was not considered. The appeal is now remanded for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including depression and generalized anxiety disorder, are secondary to his service-connected frostbite injuries of his bilateral hands. The decision grants this claim.

The Veteran's effective date for the 70% rating for major depressive disorder and the 40% rating for gout of bilateral knees, ankles, feet/toes is set to December 27, 2012.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between his current conditions and his active service.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, and PTSD. The decision resolves all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating and earlier effective date for service-connected depressive disorder is denied. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating, and there was no formal or informal claim prior to March 26, 2012.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for plantar calluses of the left and right feet, hemorrhoids, and a psychiatric disorder (anxiety and depression) have been denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions during or within one year after his military service.

The claim of service connection for PTSD has been reopened, and the appeal is remanded to obtain a new VA examination and additional medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression due to unclear stressor verification and need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder was not productive of unemployability from October 20, 2003 through May 26, 2008. The appeal is remanded for consideration of a TDIU on an extraschedular basis during the period from May 27, 2008 to January 15, 2015.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability, including whether he currently has a mental disorder. The issue of entitlement to TDIU is also pending and will be considered in conjunction with the initial rating assigned for the Veteran’s service-connected psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder are granted. The claim for service connection for traumatic brain injury is denied.