Depression decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the cause of the Veteran's death and whether he should have been service connected for certain conditions. The claims for dependency and indemnity compensation based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as well as burial benefits, are being remanded.

The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied. The claim for service connection for an undiagnosed illness is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence of a service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and other related disorders. The Veteran's claims are pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining relevant medical records and conducting further examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, finding that new and material evidence had not been received. The decision was based on the lack of evidence showing a direct link between any diagnosed condition and military service.

The Board denied service connection for a mental disorder, finding that the Veteran's current anxiety and depression were not caused by his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but denied service connection for hypertension, erectile dysfunction, right toe disability, back disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.,The Veteran's current disabilities were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has denied service connection for left knee condition, right knee condition, left leg varicose veins, and right leg varicose veins. The acquired psychiatric disorder claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of the Veteran's reported stressor events, which are necessary for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected major depressive disorder is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety and depression, finding that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a link between his current psychiatric condition and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, and as secondary to his bilateral knee disabilities is granted. However, the issue of whether the depression is related to his knee disabilities remains under review.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including depression and alcohol use disorder. An additional examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected right and left knee osteoarthritis, dorsolumbar back pain with degenerative arthritis, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, and GERD were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for any condition.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to September 30, 2013 for service connection of PTSD with MDD, anxiety, and insomnia is granted.,A compensable disability rating of 10 percent is granted for deep and non-linear gunshot wound scars of the anterior chest and trunk from September 18, 2013 to September 20, 2018.,A disability rating in excess of 20 percent is denied for deep and non-linear gunshot wound scars of the anterior chest and trunk from September 20, 2018 onwards.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for linear scars of the right knee and anterior trunk is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for an earlier effective date and increased ratings for migraines, depression, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's rating for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress was reduced from 70% to 50%, effective December 1, 2017. The Board found that the evidence showed actual improvement in his condition and thus upheld the reduction.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, to include anxiety and depression, and for Raynaud's syndrome due to potential new evidence of a current condition or aggravation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to a lack of credible supporting evidence corroborating his reported in-service stressor. The claims for service connection for Major Depressive Disorder and insomnia, secondary to Major Depressive Disorder, are remanded as further development is needed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an increased rating for major depressive disorder were denied. The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for internal derangement of the right knee prior to April 15, 2011 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter was also denied.