Depression decisions — 2020

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee condition, nervous condition (claimed as chronic schizophrenia and chronic depression), back condition, and cervical condition due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder, finding no credible evidence of the claimed in-service stressors.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disorder. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical records, verify the alleged stressor, and provide a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, as well as bilateral hearing loss. The Board found that there was no current diagnosis of a psychiatric disability during the appeal period and that the Veteran did not have evidence of noise exposure related to his military service that could cause his hearing loss.

The Veteran's depressive disorder is granted as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine and right ankle/heel disabilities.,Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the upper extremities is denied due to lack of evidence.,Insomnia, claimed as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine disability, is dismissed as it is considered a symptom of the Veteran's depressive disorder.,The Veteran’s claim for increased rating and separate compensable ratings for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is remanded.,Service connection for migraine headache disorder is remanded due to need for clarification regarding its pre-service existence.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disabilities, specifically PTSD. The Veteran was not diagnosed with PTSD during the examination and the examiner did not apply the proper standard to determine if his stressor met criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder NOS and depressive disorder NOS resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity prior to April 2, 2014. From April 2, 2014, the disability resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability was denied as new and material evidence was not submitted, and the causal link between his current condition and military service or a service-connected condition could not be established.

The Veteran's claim for a rating greater than 70 percent for his persistent depressive disorder prior to July 20, 2020 was denied as the evidence did not show total occupational and social impairment due to his psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's PTSD and depressive disorder claims are remanded for further development. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the PTSD rating issue.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for depression, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current diagnosis and military service.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, MDD, and alcohol use disorder, due to in-service personal assault. The Veteran's symptoms are linked to his military sexual trauma (MST).

The Board has remanded the case due to missing VA treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) disability determination records, which may help substantiate the Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability.

Service connection for major depressive disorder is granted.,Service connection for heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and neuropathy of the left lower extremity due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune are denied.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for depression due to new and material evidence. The claims of service connection for left shoulder injury, an acquired psychiatric disorder, right leg, torn ACL, COPD, and asthma are remanded for further development.

The appeal is being remanded due to the need for a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) explaining the rationale and calculation of attorney fees awarded in July 2011.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and low back disability are found to be related to his military service. The acquired psychiatric disorder is not considered due to a service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding her in-service injuries and exposure. The VA will obtain missing service treatment records, including those from her reserve component time, and seek clarification on any reported exposure to pollution or toxins.

The Veteran's appeal for SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) was denied, and the Board found that a TDIU based on a single service-connected disability is not warranted during the period from January 14, 2003 to February 9, 2009.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy associated with lumbosacral spine disease have been dismissed. The Board also granted TDIU from May 3, 2013, but remanded the issue of TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to May 3, 2013.