Depression decisions — 2020

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right arm disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder (unspecified depressive disorder) as there is no evidence to support that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has dismissed all claims of service connection due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for cognitive impairment and toxic encephalopathy is dismissed. Service connection for toxic encephalopathy was denied as the evidence did not show a causal relationship to his military service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted as service-connected.,Right knee patella chondromalacia and DDD of the lumbar spine are granted as secondary to a service-connected left knee condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of December 12, 2013, for a grant of service connection for major depression disorder is granted. The claims for service connection for a right foot scar and for an initial rating greater than 30 percent for major depressive disorder are remanded due to lack of current disability evidence. The Veteran's claim for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities is also remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and remanded the issue of service connection for a low back disability.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for throat cancer with loss of salivary glands, psychiatric disability, cognitive disability, autonomic neurological disability, orthostatic hypotension, left eye disability, and residuals of strokes due to new evidence received after a previous denial. The Veteran's representative requested an examination to determine if his throat cancer is related to service exposure to toxic chemicals.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 30 percent from April 10, 2015 to March 29, 2017. From March 30, 2017 to October 29, 2019, the rating was increased to 70 percent. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating beyond 70 percent is denied.

The Veteran's service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, PTSD with panic attacks, unspecified depressive disorder and TBI has been granted. A 70 percent rating is assigned for the psychiatric/TBI disability prior to August 19, 2014, and from October 1, 2014 to September 11, 2018.

An initial 70 percent rating for PTSD is granted effective June 19, 2018. Separate compensable ratings for residuals of TBI are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea but remanded the issue of service connection for a depressive disorder due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection of PTSD due to lack of corroborated in-service stressor. The claim for increased rating of major depressive disorder is remanded as there may have been a worsening since the last examination.

Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for arthritis is denied.,Service connection for PTSD is denied.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, to include depression, is denied.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation for his service-connected psychiatric disability and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show total social impairment, but also noted that the Veteran had difficulty maintaining a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to April 1, 2018 (excluding periods of temporary total evaluation) is rated at 50 percent. The rating will remain at this level until a higher evaluation can be granted.

The Veteran's PTSD and depression are currently rated as 70% disabling, but the Board finds that they do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.,Service connection is granted for sleep apnea. The Board finds that the Veteran’s symptoms likely had their onset during service.,Service connection is denied for diabetes mellitus and right leg numbness as there is no evidence of these conditions in service records, and they are not related to service.,The Veteran's hypertension was diagnosed after his period of active duty service. The Board finds that the VA examiner’s opinion is inadequate due to a lack of contemporaneous medical records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities made him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment as of June 3, 2009. The Board granted TDIU based on this finding.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder have been granted service connection.,Service connection has not been established for choroidal melanoma, dry eye, glaucoma, or optic atrophy.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychotic disorder. The case is remanded to determine the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for major depressive disorder is denied because there was no pending intent to file in the claims file prior to October 5, 2018.