Depression decisions — 2022

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder, are found to be related to his military service. The Board grants the claim for service connection.

The appeal for service connection of a left hand disability is dismissed. The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have current hearing loss to a degree that qualifies as a ratable disability. The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for back, knee, and hip disabilities due to potential aggravation by pre-existing conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder is rated at 50 percent, but the Board denied a higher rating and TDIU due to insufficient evidence of occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including moderate to severe persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress (claimed as dysthymic disorder), is related to her combat deployment and experiences in service. The Board has granted the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's attorney withdrew all claims of service connection for various conditions, including polysubstance dependence, bipolar disorder, PTSD, bilateral foot peripheral neuropathy, sleep apnea, and renal failure. The Board dismissed these claims as the Veteran had withdrawn them.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a disability manifested by right eye blindness and an acquired psychiatric disorder, variously claimed as depression. The Veteran's current right eye blindness is denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service. For the psychiatric claim, further examination is needed to determine if there are any other diagnosed conditions related to service or secondary to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, somatic symptom disorder, major depression disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, was denied. The Veteran's cellulitis of the left lower extremity is also denied as not warranting a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA medical records, as well as providing new opinions regarding the relationship between his psychiatric disability and sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not establish a diagnosis of hypertension, nor was there any link between the Veteran's military service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and thus granted his claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has determined that new evidence has been submitted and is requesting the AOJ to review this evidence for its impact on the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD, MDD, and tinnitus. The AOJ will then issue a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC).

The Veteran's Major Depressive Disorder is rated at 100 percent disabling from February 9, 2017 to January 11, 2021. Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) for the same period is also granted.

The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and clarification of service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and consideration due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to a service-connected disability. The TDIU claim is also being deferred until the service connection issue is resolved.

The Board has found that there has not been substantial compliance with its remand directives and thus another remand is required. The claims for a higher rating for major depressive disorder, service connection for a left knee disability, and TDIU are all being remanded for further development.

Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to service-connected ischemic heart disease and major depressive disorder.,Hypertension is presumed due to herbicide exposure under the PACT Act, effective August 10, 2022.,An earlier effective date of March 23, 2018, for major depressive disorder is denied as there was no prior claim.,The disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is restored to 30 percent effective April 24, 2018.,A temporary total disability rating (100%) for ischemic heart disease following bypass surgery on April 6, 2020, is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for effective dates and service connection have been dismissed. The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral plantar fasciitis, a back condition, headaches (including migraine), PTSD due to MST, depression, and an initial rating higher than 30 percent for generalized anxiety disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric conditions, including PTSD, alcohol abuse disorder, and major depressive disorder, finding that these conditions are related to his active-duty service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not demonstrate total occupational and social impairment.,The Veteran's claim for a TDIU based solely on unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress was also denied. The Board concluded that there was no evidence showing the Veteran was unemployable due to this disability alone.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his Parkinson's disease and related conditions rendered him unable to secure or maintain gainful employment.