Depression decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, is granted. The claims for bilateral hip and knee disabilities are denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, thrombosis, poor circulation, and edema. The SMC claim is also remanded due to its inextricability with other issues.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder, unspecified anxiety disorder, and alcohol use disorder prior to September 3, 2014 are rated at a 70 percent disability level.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for depression, anxiety, and headaches due to the Veteran's failure to attend scheduled VA examinations. The Veteran is advised that she needs to provide an estimated time or year when she can attend a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and examinations.

The Veteran's recurrent depression is related to his service patrolling the coast of Cuba, including Guantanamo Bay. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of his major depressive disorder and TDIU is being remanded due to the need for a new examination to assess the current severity of his condition, as well as consideration of additional symptoms not previously addressed in previous examinations.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability and denied an earlier effective date for TDIU. The Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability is not related to active service or her service-connected right foot disability, and she was found employable prior to October 19, 2015.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, schizoaffective disorder, depression and bipolar disorder is remanded due to inadequate VA examination. Further development is required.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for an earlier effective date and has remanded the issue of entitlement to a higher rating for service-connected anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depressive disorder, and alcohol use disorder. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Board has ordered remand due to incomplete development of the record, specifically regarding preexisting condition and secondary service connection issues for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to several issues, including providing proper notice for a personal assault claim related to PTSD, obtaining missing federal and private treatment records, and conducting a new VA examination.

The Veteran's initial rating for service-connected depressive disorder with insomnia was granted at a 50% level, but the Board has now granted an increased rating to 70%, effective from May 14, 2003, to October 2, 2017.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, effective November 12, 2015. The Board denied a higher rating as the symptoms did not cause total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ischemic heart disease and major depressive disorder, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 5, 2020. The TDIU claim is remanded due to the pending appeal for service connection of MDD.

The Board denied service connection for Grave’s Disease, arthritis, removal of gall bladder, acid reflux, tubal ligation, thyrotoxicosis and depression as the evidence did not show a link to service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for major depressive disorder is remanded due to deficiencies in the August 2019 VA medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a VA examination regarding the Veteran's service connection claim and because of an error in not considering her SMC based on aid and attendance claim.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus due to lack of a current diagnosis. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded as the VA opinion obtained prior to the July 2019 rating decision did not adequately address the Veteran's diagnoses of unspecified depressive disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder, which are related to his service in Korea.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis with stenosis, depressive disorder and anxiety, and cervical spine degenerative arthritis with spondylosis have been granted service connection. The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis with spondylosis is denied.