Depression decisions — 2021

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depressive disorder, and dysthymic disorder. The claim of service connection for a personality disorder is denied.,Service connection for the left wrist condition and gastrointestinal condition (IBS) are remanded.

The Board has withdrawn the appeals for headaches and heart disability. The claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension, bilateral eye glaucoma, erectile dysfunction, kidney calculi, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and depression are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, as there are inconsistencies in the evidence and need for clarification on the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral ankle disability and difficulty swallowing.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, was granted service connection. The Board also found that the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities and remanded for extraschedular TDIU consideration.

The Veteran's PTSD, major depressive disorder, and alcohol use disorder are being remanded for further development. The rating for bilateral hearing loss is also being remanded with a specific date range.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) prior to April 4, 2017 for further development. The issues have been referred to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ).

An effective date of March 18, 2016 is granted for a 50% evaluation for migraine headaches.,An effective date of December 12, 2016 is granted for a 70% evaluation for major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's PTSD rating was reduced from 100% to 70%, effective July 1, 2015. The appeal is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including whether they are related to service.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection for a psychiatric disability, and the Veteran's motion to revise this decision due to clear and unmistakable error (CUE) was dismissed.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient verification of a stressor event and because a decision on one issue could impact another.

The Board has dismissed the appeal regarding an initial rating for bilateral pes planus. The case is remanded for further action on service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's PTSD with mild major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder is rated at 70 percent from February 19, 2020. The appeal for a higher rating prior to that date was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric condition with anxiety and depression as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected pulmonary fibrosis and polymyositis.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for her service-connected persistent depressive disorder is being remanded due to the receipt of additional evidence after the initial statement of the case (SOC).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The epididymitis with left hydrocele was not rated higher than non-compensable, PTSD with MDD prior to December 6, 2019 and thereafter was not rated higher than 50 percent, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome (right knee disability) and left knee partial medial meniscotomy with patellofemoral pain syndrome (left knee disability) were also denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding sleep apnea, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression and PTSD with alcohol dependence), and bilateral hearing loss before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's hip and depression claims are remanded for additional development, including new examinations to assess the severity of her disabilities and determine if she is unemployable due to her service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim to reopen a previously denied cervical spine disability was granted. The claims for gastrointestinal and psychiatric disabilities, as well as anemia, are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for new examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected depressive disorder, diabetic neuropathy affecting lower extremities, and overall disability rating.