Depression decisions — 2023

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and major depressive disorder has been denied.,The Veteran's appeal for TDIU prior to May 21, 2021 has also been denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability secondary to PTSD remains pending and is remanded.

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

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen her claim for service connection for a right knee disability and denied her request for a higher rating for major depression, recurrent with PTSD and alcohol use. The appeal was remanded for further action on issues related to right eye disability and Nabothian cysts.

The Board has decided that the VA examinations related to the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disabilities are inadequate and requires a new examination to determine if his depression and sleep disorder are related to his service-connected hypothyroidism.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination and incomplete stressor verification, requiring further development of evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination and additional medical opinions are needed regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, their relationship to service, and whether they are caused or aggravated by his service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination due to insufficient medical evidence on record regarding the Veteran's psychiatric, right knee, and left elbow conditions.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but has remanded it due to insufficient evidence on the etiology of his current conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder is granted a 50 percent rating, and the issue of service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including persistent depressive disorder, is related to his service-connected right knee disability or if it was aggravated by it. The matter must be further evaluated and an addendum opinion provided.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection and a higher rating has been remanded due to procedural issues in the docketing process.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VA examination and lack of verified stressors. The Veteran seeks service connection for PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, and Schizoaffective Disorder, which are all psychiatric disabilities. Additional development is needed to verify stressors and obtain a new VA opinion.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted, and her appeal for an increased rating for her depressive disorder with anxious distress and alcohol use disorder is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for service-connected TBI and for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to January 12, 2019 are remanded due to the need for additional retrospective medical opinions regarding his TBI from December 2014 to current.

The Board has remanded several issues for additional development, including service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and increased evaluations for right knee and back disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting opinions on whether the appellant's mental state at the time of his misconduct was such that he could be considered insane, which is a key factor in determining if his character of discharge bars him from VA benefits.

The Veteran's service-connected unspecified anxiety and depressive disorders are evaluated at a 50 percent rating prior to March 6, 2020. The Board finds that the evidence does not support an increase in this rating.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, finding that the Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous remand directives, specifically failing to provide written notice of a scheduled VA examination. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is now pending again.

The Veteran's left achilles tendonitis is granted a 20 percent rating, but no higher. The Board also grants the Veteran a TDIU from March 20, 2015.