Depression decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for headache syndrome and depressive disorder due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiner's opinions. The Veteran is required to undergo additional medical examinations to determine the nature and etiology of her claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected fibromyalgia and major depressive disorder rendered her unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to August 27, 2010.

The Veteran's service connection claims for psychiatric disorders, lumbar spine disorder, hypertension, GERD, and hemorrhoids have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a secondary relationship between his sleep apnea and his service-connected conditions or in-service exposures. The preponderance of the evidence did not support the claim.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as the evidence did not show that he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records from May 2018 to the present. The claims of a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and TDIU are also being remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including a depressive disorder, is at least as likely as not related to his active duty service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 40 percent for persistent depressive disorder due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the baseline level of severity prior to aggravation.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for respiratory disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder (including major depressive disorder and a nervous condition), thyroid disability, and arthritis due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD and major depression was denied. The Board found that the severity, frequency, and duration of his symptoms did not more closely approximate total occupational and social impairment required for a 100% rating. However, he was granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities preventing him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal regarding the service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. The Board dismissed this issue as a result of the Veteran's withdrawal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that the most probative evidence is against a diagnosis of PTSD and instead found that his symptoms are best explained by his service-connected depressive disorder.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for chronic maxillary sinusitis was dismissed. The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's death was attributed to cocaine toxicity, which the Board found at least as likely as not to be secondary to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder. The case is remanded for further development regarding an increased rating for the acquired psychiatric disorder and TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depressive disorder and chronic recurring headaches, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, diagnosed as major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder, is granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The effective date of this grant remains the date of receipt of the original claim in June 19, 2009.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasoning and lack of a clarifying VA examination. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress and alcohol use disorder, needs further evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to issues with scheduling a VA examination for the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression. The Veteran will need to be rescheduled for an examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he has maintained substantial gainful employment throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD with depression, tinnitus, prostate cancer residuals, bilateral hearing loss, and erectile dysfunction, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment for at least some portion of the relevant period. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.