Depression decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for unspecified depressive disorder was denied.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent from March 16, 2006.,Entitlement to SMC(k) based on loss of use of a creative organ is remanded.

The Veteran's adjustment disorder is productive of deficiencies in the areas of work, family relations, and mood. The Board has granted a 50 percent rating for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right elbow disorder and PTSD with MDD was denied. The Veteran's bilateral foot disorder (claimed as flat feet) and degenerative disc disease were remanded for further review.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD and depression, as there is no competent evidence to support these diagnoses during the appeal period. The Veteran's depression was found to be related to pre-service factors such as childhood abuse.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for depression and TDIU due to inconsistencies in the Veteran's psychiatric symptoms attributed to multiple factors, including back pain and relationship problems.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD based on MST and depression have been granted.,The Veteran's claim for insomnia has also been granted.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development due to incomplete records and the need for additional medical opinions. The Veteran's service connection claims are being returned to VA for these purposes.

Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder with depressive disorder, is granted. The claim of increased disability rating for service-connected left palm laceration prior to July 10, 2020, and greater than 10 percent thereafter, is granted.

The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for the Veteran's psychiatric disability, including PTSD and depressive disorder, effective throughout the period on appeal. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability causes occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorders, specifically PTSD and MDD. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and Major depressive disorder. The VA needs to provide an addendum opinion addressing whether these conditions are related to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided that remand is required for an addendum opinion addressing direct and secondary service connection for the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder, mood disorder, and depression. The examiner should determine if any current psychiatric disorder is related to service and whether it was aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination regarding service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Veteran's lay statements are sufficient to trigger VA’s duty to provide an examination.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death, and no service connection or rating decisions are made.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression) as the evidence did not support a current diagnosis of these conditions or establish their relationship to active duty service.

The Board has granted a TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected mood disorder with major depressive features and epilepsy, which prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment. An earlier effective date for the award of service connection for mood disorder with major depressive features associated with epilepsy is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a low back disorder, and bilateral shoulder disorders have been reopened. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence supports these claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between service-connected physical disabilities and the claimed psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as of June 9, 2017 due to his service-connected disabilities. Before this date, the evidence did not show he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.