Depression decisions — 2020

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the issue of entitlement to Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) prior to April 6, 2019.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher ratings and TDIU due to issues with his right knee disabilities, PTSD, and service-connected conditions. The VA is instructed to obtain all relevant records and provide the Veteran with a new examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination findings and a need for further clarification of diagnoses.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a sleep study and an opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected asthma and/or major depressive disorder aggravated his sleep apnea.

The Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and depression do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's PTSD and unspecified depressive disorder symptoms have not resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, resulting in a denial of a higher rating.

The Veteran's PTSD with depression is rated at 50 percent, but no higher. The Board found the preponderance of evidence supports a 50 percent rating for PTSD with depression.,Service connection for headaches and IBS are remanded as they may be related to service-connected conditions or due to exposure to environmental factors.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for nerve pain and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no causal relationship between these conditions and his service or service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for further development regarding his TDIU claim and initial rating for depressive disorder, NOS.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inconsistencies in medical opinions regarding service connection for various conditions, particularly hearing loss and psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for Bell's palsy is denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have complete paralysis of his right seventh cranial nerve, which would warrant a higher rating.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 30 percent for major depressive disorder is denied. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms do not meet the criteria for a 50% or higher rating under Diagnostic Code 9434.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to obtain VA treatment records and an adequate examination. The Veteran's psychiatric disorder, hypertension, left carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and SMC claims are being reviewed.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected psychiatric condition is being remanded due to the addition of new evidence since the November 2015 statement of the case.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to missing records and need for additional medical opinions. The Veteran's skin condition, including psoriasis and vitiligo, is being reviewed again as there are conflicting reports of when it started. His nervous system disease (claimed as depression) is also under review.

The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to April 20, 2009.

The Board has granted the reopening of the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety, depression, and inadequate personality. The Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar spondylosis and depression as secondary to service-connected skin condition due to inadequate medical opinions in the original February 2014 rating decision.

The Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's PTSD and other psychiatric conditions. The VA must obtain a new opinion addressing whether these conditions are related to an in-service stressor, including a personal assault.

The Board denied reopening and granting service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, PTSD, and unspecified depressive disorder as secondary to a service-connected carcinoma of the lung. The Veteran's claim was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.