Depression decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and Depression, as well as his claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The claims are being remanded for further development including verifying in-service stressors, obtaining updated treatment records, and providing a VA medical opinion on the etiology of the claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and procedural issues. The Veteran must provide additional evidence, including personnel records from his National Guard service, and undergo VA examinations to determine the nature of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of the Veteran's claimed in-service stressor and the need for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disability, including PTSD.

Service connection for PTSD and MDD has been granted.,The claim for service connection for sleep apnea is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's anxiety and depression are granted service connection, but his hemorrhoids and rectal bleeding are denied.

The Board has granted the petition to reopen the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression. The respiratory disability claims are denied as they were aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, and peripheral neuropathy was denied. The initial rating of 70 percent for the depressive disorder is maintained.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a right knee disability were allowed in May 2020, resulting in the establishment of service connection. As such, there remains no case or controversy over which the Board may presently exercise jurisdiction.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating for major depressive disorder and TDIU have been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of these appeals.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder has been rated at 50 percent since April 25, 2016. The Board found that the symptoms do not warrant a higher rating as they cause occupational and social impairment but not to the extent of total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and depression, are etiologically linked to his service in Vietnam. The decision grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for depression and anxiety disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected sleep apnea and his acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder and adjustment disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed PTSD and other psychiatric conditions. The claim will be reconsidered with a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected Persistent Depressive Disorder is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records, including VA and private treatment records from the Veteran's time in the 1980s, at the Vet Center in Los Angeles, California, and any counseling he received for panic attacks. The appellant is asked to provide necessary identification of sources.

The Veteran's depression and sleep apnea have been granted service connection.,A higher rating of 50 percent for tension headaches is granted, effective January 19, 2018.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of May 10, 2012 for the award of service connection for Major Depressive Disorder with anxious distress. The Veteran's claim was initially filed as an informal request for compensation benefits for depression on May 10, 2012.

The Veteran's PTSD and depressive disorder are found to be related to a verified in-service stressor, specifically sexual assault during military service. As such, the appeal for service connection is granted.