Depression decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD. A new VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus have been remanded. The claim for a higher rating for other specified depressive disorder has been granted, but the effective date is not provided.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and found that the Veteran's major depressive disorder aggravates his sleep apnea. The rating for major depressive disorder remains at 70 percent.

The Veteran's service connection claims for arthritis, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood major depressive disorder, a nerve condition, skin cancer, and fibromyalgia have been granted. The remaining issues of service connection for a nerve condition, skin cancer, and fibromyalgia are being remanded for further development.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a skin disorder, and a psychiatric disorder. The evidence does not support the Veteran's claims that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted and rated at 50 percent since October 27, 1997. The appeal is mixed as the claim for a higher rating prior to June 20, 2017 was denied, but TDIU from that date onwards was granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and depression as secondary to a back disability are denied because there is no underlying service-connected back disability.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and other disabilities have been rated as 100% disabling, qualifying him for special monthly compensation at the rate specified in 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s). The claim is dismissed because the criteria are met.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and need for further examination regarding the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorders, particularly PTSD.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as PTSD and MDD, has been granted service connection.,The Veteran's overreactive bladder condition is also granted service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation since October 7, 2019. The Board has granted TDIU for this period.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional evidence and clarification regarding the Veteran's service connection claim, particularly related to his claimed in-service stressor and awards. The case will be reviewed again with an emphasis on verifying the in-service stressor and considering all relevant awards.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for right knee disability was denied, and his TDIU claim was also denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the percentage requirements for a TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a), but referred the case to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration of an extra-schedular rating due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has reopened the claim for residuals of a tonsillectomy and denied service connection due to lack of evidence linking current symptoms to the surgery. The psychiatric, lumbar spine, and left hip disabilities were also denied.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for moderate persistent depressive disorder with intermittent major depressive episodes and borderline personality disorder as secondary to service-connected thoracolumbar disc degeneration has been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include unspecified depressive disorder and PTSD, should be remanded due to incomplete evidence. The case will be returned to VA for further development.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of COPD, a back disability, and PTSD. The right toe disability is granted.

The Veteran's persistent depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent since October 1, 2016. A TDIU is granted effective as of October 1, 2016. The derivative TDIU claim prior to this date remains pending.