Depression decisions — 2023

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is related to his active-duty service in Panama. The Board finds the evidence supports the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical examination and opinion regarding service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder and avoidant personality disorder with social phobia.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure to obtain a VA examination, and now requires additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for psychiatric disorders, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, right leg disability, and pulmonary embolism due to inconsistencies in reported stressors and conflicting medical opinions. Additional development is needed to verify a specific suicide stressor and obtain new nexus opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible statements regarding in-service stressors and a private medical opinion linking his current conditions to service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, left ear disability, back pain, neck pain, left arm disability, right arm disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left ankle disability, and right ankle disability. The issues have been remanded due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability due to new and material evidence submitted since the July 2015 rating decision. However, the issue is remanded as another VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and sleep apnea are granted. The Board has determined that new evidence received since the final February 2015 rating decision raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims, but both issues must be remanded due to lack of updated medical records and need for additional examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, is related to his service. The claim will be further evaluated after the examination.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to determine if the Veteran's diagnosed psychiatric disorder, bipolar I disorder with paranoia, psychosis, and depression, is related to his period of service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including whether it is related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, left ear hearing loss, left elbow condition, right elbow condition, left knee condition, and bilateral pes planus have been reopened. The appeal regarding TDIU is dismissed. The appeals for service connection are remanded due to new and material evidence having been submitted.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal as his December 2016 Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was not timely filed, based on the presumption of regularity in the mailing of the February 2014 notification letter.

The Veteran's PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder precludes him from obtaining and maintaining substantial gainful employment, leading to a TDIU effective April 20, 2017.,SMC at the 's' rate is granted due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities combining to 60 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in the previous opinions and a need for an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's claim for a reduction in the rating of his service-connected depressive disorder, NOS from 30 percent to noncompensable is being remanded due to the lack of an SOC.

The Veteran's claim to connect PTSD, depression, and anxiety to service has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, anxiety, and depression, should be remanded due to incomplete stressor verification and issues with the January 2023 VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his psychiatric disability is remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence and an updated examination.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as depressive disorder, as secondary to his service-connected knee disabilities.