Depression decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The issues include PTSD, depression, and migraine headaches.

The Board dismissed the appeals as the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal and thus has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer and PTSD with secondary persistent depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow any substantially gainful occupation. The Board has remanded the case for referral to the Director of the Compensation Service for consideration of a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and depression are both granted. Prostate cancer is presumed to be related to herbicide exposure, while the depression is found to be secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a right knee tear and depressive disorder, prevented him from securing or maintaining gainful employment. The Board found that he met the schedular criteria for a TDIU during the specified period.

The Veteran's PTSD/depression symptoms have resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70% disability rating from April 26, 2010 until April 27, 2017.

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD resulted in occupational and social impairment prior to April 22, 2015 but not from that date onwards.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasoning and lack of adequate medical examination in determining service connection for PTSD, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, and alcohol dependence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran was not granted TDIU status.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board has denied a higher rating. The Veteran was granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD and Persistent Depressive Disorder were granted a disability rating of 70 percent. The Veteran was denied compensable ratings for his migraine and tension headaches prior to June 19, 2019 and from June 19, 2019 to October 26, 2020. A 50 percent rating was granted for the period after October 26, 2020. The Veteran's service connection claims for CFS, OSA, and PLMSD were remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected knee and ankle disabilities are rated at 10 percent each, but the Board has remanded for further examination to determine their current severity.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for psychiatric disorders and a sleep disorder due to inadequate examination reports in prior decisions. The cases are now required to be reviewed with new VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, major depressive disorder, mood disorder, and psychotic disorder rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from January 31, 2007 to July 17, 2013. The TDIU claim is granted.

The request to reopen the claim for service connection for diverticulitis previously claimed as stomach condition (gastritis/pancreatitis) is dismissed.,New and material evidence has been received for service connection for a knee condition, and the request to reopen the claim is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, anxiety, and depression. The claims for a headache disability and hypertension have been remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD rating was reduced from 100% to 70%, effective March 1, 2021. The reduction is being restored as the evidence does not show an improvement in his ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development and need for clarification on whether the Veteran's service-connected other trauma and stressor related disorder aggravates his non-service-connected bipolar disorder.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral knee disability, hypertension, and PTSD due to a significant gap in treatment records between the Veteran's discharge from service and his death. The RO is instructed to make efforts to obtain missing medical records from Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) and other sources.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The Veteran testified that his health conditions caused his depression and anxiety.