Depression decisions — 2020

The Board has expanded the claim adjudicated to include any acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD is remanded due to conflicting evidence and insufficient medical information. A new VA mental disorders examination by a psychiatrist or psychologist is needed to determine if the Veteran meets the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. For the initial rating claim, a VA examination is also needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran’s immune disorder (evolving lupus).

The Veteran's initial rating for degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees was denied, with a maximum 10 percent rating assigned.,Effective November 1, 2018, the Veteran received a 100 percent rating for his service-connected depressive disorder.

The Board has found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection of his right hand disability, psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), low back disability, bilateral pes planus, right knee disability, and left knee disability. The claims are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU rating for her service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder and alcohol abuse, but the case is remanded to determine if she should be rated at 100 percent.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is rated at 100 percent for the period prior to June 19, 2015. The earlier effective date claim was dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether any of the Veteran's diagnosed psychiatric disorders, other than PTSD, are related to his service.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including persistent depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder, based on the Veteran's reported military sexual trauma during service.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased rating for his ankle disabilities, as well as granted a TDIU based on multiple service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for erectile dysfunction due to potential secondary service connection with polymyositis and major depressive disorder, as well as exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder. The issues are intertwined as they both involve his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination report and need for further clarification on the Veteran's psychiatric diagnoses.

The Board has granted service connection for lung cancer and depressive disorder as secondary to lung cancer. Lung cancer is found to be related to asbestos exposure during service, while the depressive disorder is found to be proximately due to or the result of the lung cancer.

The Board has granted service connection for a major depressive disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected cerebral arteriosclerosis.

The Veteran's initial rating for depressive disorder (also diagnosed as mood disorder) prior to February 11, 2014, is denied. The Veteran's current rating of 70 percent as of February 11, 2014, for depressive disorder remains unchanged.,The Board has remanded the issue of entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD is rated at 70 percent, but the Board finds that her symptoms do not warrant a higher rating as they do not meet the criteria for total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has remanded several issues, including service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (excluding PTSD), hypertension, tinnitus, and PTSD. The Veteran's claims for migraines are also pending.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's PTSD, finding that his symptoms are linked to a helicopter crash he experienced during service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's major depressive disorder is secondary to his service-connected right shoulder disability.

The Board has found deficiencies in the February 2017 VA examination report and requires a remand to address whether the Veteran's psychiatric disability clearly and unmistakably preexisted entrance into active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for depressive disorder and for TDIU due to his service-connected disability. The case requires further examination by a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist to clarify the severity of the Veteran’s depressive disorder, its impact on his occupational and social functioning, and to reconcile the conflicting evidence in the record.