Depression decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran has Alzheimer's or dementia, and whether his acquired psychiatric disorder is proximately due to presumed exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, and/or caused by his service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lower extremity PAD and a higher rating for PTSD with depression, but has remanded his claims regarding CAD, surgical scars of the right leg and chest, a painful right leg scar, and TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, and cirrhosis of the liver. The Veteran's claim was based on his belief that these conditions were related to his military service, but the evidence did not support a finding of service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bipolar disorder and entitlement to a temporary total disability rating for hospitalization. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim, and that the Veteran was not hospitalized for more than 21 days due to his PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have increased in severity, and he is being asked to provide additional evidence or examinations to determine the current severity of his disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability, including unspecified stress disorder with major depressive disorder, is currently rated at 30 percent prior to March 30, 2010; 50 percent from March 30, 2010, until June 10, 2021; and 70 percent thereafter. The Board has remanded the case for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and PTSD, finding that there was no credible evidence supporting the occurrence of a claimed in-service stressor related to military sexual trauma (MST).

The Veteran's depression is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has denied a higher rating as her symptoms do not warrant an increase.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The cases of recurrent sleep disability, psychiatric disability, scrotal disability, and lumbar spine disability are remanded due to the need for further examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of claimed stressors and a need for further medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD, finding that there was no evidence of such conditions during active service and that any current symptoms did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for psychiatric disabilities, a sleep disorder, erectile dysfunction, and hypertension as there is no evidence to support these claims. The Veteran does not have any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of service-connected psychiatric disability and peripheral neuropathy, as well as his TDIU claim, are being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and a more contemporaneous examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, finding that there was no evidence of a psychosis having been manifest within the first post-service year and that the persuasive evidence failed to establish a present disability is etiologically related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased rating for anxiety disorder and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran testified that his anxiety disorder symptoms have worsened since his last VA examination, and he submitted a private psychiatric evaluation indicating total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for further medical examination. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea syndrome are being reviewed.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder. The decision is based on evidence showing that the Veteran's current psychiatric disability is related to his military service as a search and rescue diver.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations provided were insufficient to address the Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to incomplete consideration of her subjective statements and medical records, as well as failure to consider whether there was negligence or lack of duty of care by a reasonable healthcare provider.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to September 16, 2021 is remanded as the Board finds it necessary to provide a retrospective medical opinion regarding his employment status.

The Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress is granted as service connected, and the claim for PTSD is remanded due to insufficient evidence.