Depression decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's in-service funeral detail.

The Board denied the claims of service connection for residuals of TBI and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and depression) due to lack of credible evidence supporting the claimed in-service events.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and Depressive Disorder due to insufficient evidence, including a lack of nexus opinions and an inadequate review of VA medical records. The case is returned for further development.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of low back disability, asthma, neck disability, eye disability (including amblyopia, blurred vision, and vision loss), diabetes, acquired psychiatric disorder (to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, personality disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)), and left ankle disability have been remanded. The appeals for service connection on the issues of chest disability, residuals of a head injury, and sleep disorder were dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for further development due to the need for VA examinations to determine if his disabilities are related to an injury during active duty training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty training (INACDUTRA).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's depressive disorder and its relationship to his service-connected knee condition.

The Board has restored service connection for generalized and unspecified anxiety disorder with persistent depressive disorder, effective September 1, 2018, as the evidence did not show clear and unmistakable error in the original grant of service connection.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed as moot since he had a combined 100% schedular rating for his service-connected disabilities from July 2009 onwards, but not with one rated as totally disabling.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depressive disorder, right and left knee osteoarthritis, and left shoulder bursitis, rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since April 20, 2012. The Board granted the TDIU on an extraschedular basis effective from that date.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and PTSD, secondary to his service-connected osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine is dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Veteran's MDD resulted in total occupational and social impairment since June 23, 2009. The nystagmus rating is at the maximum schedular level of 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to determine if his current conditions are related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to unclear etiology of the Veteran's symptoms and need for further examination. The Veteran is seeking a higher evaluation for his TBI with residual headaches and giddiness, but the nature and cause of other symptoms such as anxiety disorder and unspecified neurocognitive disorder are also under review.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 100 percent schedular rating from April 23, 2014.,The appeal for TDIU prior to September 24, 2019 is dismissed as moot due to the grant of a 100 percent schedular rating for PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer and major depressive disorder, are rated at a combined 70 percent. The Board finds that these conditions render the Veteran unable to maintain regular substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to duty-to-assist errors and insufficient medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, specifically whether they are related to his service.

The Veteran's dysthymia is rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that this rating is appropriate given her symptoms of anxiety, depressed mood, some difficulty in stressful circumstances, avoidance of certain settings, and an exaggerated startle response. The disability does not more nearly approximate a higher evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran should be provided with a new VA examination to assess her IBS and PTSD, as well as additional records from the NPRC for mental health treatment. The Veteran is also asked to provide any private psychiatric treatment records she may have.

The Board granted service connection for depression at a 100 percent rating, effective September 22, 2014. The Veteran was also awarded basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) and special monthly compensation for housebound criteria (SMC-HB), effective September 22, 2014.