Depression decisions — 2020

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety. The Board found that there was no causal relationship between the veteran’s current disability and her in-service sexual trauma.

The Board has determined that the matter must be remanded for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the cause of death and service connection claims.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (diagnosed as major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder) and remanded the issue of service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of November 27, 2009. The Board granted a TDIU from that date.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including limb girdle muscular dystrophy and left ankle impairment, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board granted a TDIU based on the combined effect of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's in-service events and a need for further development of his acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for unspecified depressive disorder, but the Board finds that the criteria are not met.,The Veteran's claim for right knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or functional impairment to earning capacity due to his bilateral knee condition.,The Veteran's claim for left knee disability is also denied for similar reasons.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability caused or aggravated his psychiatric disorders, specifically unspecified depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder (in remission).

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and depressive disorder on a secondary basis to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, as well as chronic obstructive sleep apnea, has been granted. The appeals for increased evaluations of the low back disability and radiculopathy of the legs, as well as for right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities have been remanded due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder with anxious distress. The Veteran is seeking service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's depressive disorder was granted a 70 percent rating from August 14, 2019. Prior to that date, the Veteran had been rated at 30 percent for his depressive disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection was dismissed due to his death, and no eligible parties have submitted requests for substitution within the subsequent one-year period.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The TBI, PTSD with depressive disorder/alcohol abuse, non-epileptic seizure disorder, GERD, CFS, and low back disorder are all rated at their maximum levels.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from December 16, 2009 to August 13, 2019.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for obsessive compulsive disorder, PTSD, depression, and sleep disturbance due to lack of current diagnoses in the record.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to unclear diagnoses and potential misclassification of periods of reserve service. Additional development is needed, including verification of all periods of service, examination of the Veteran, and clarification on the etiology of his psychiatric conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to incomplete records, including a lack of National Guard personnel records from 1985. The Veteran's psychiatric disabilities are being evaluated again with a new examiner.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder, is rated at 70 percent for the period from August 10, 2019.

The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is granted due to the evidence linking his current symptoms to his combat service in Vietnam.