Depression decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety due to military sexual trauma (MST), is remanded. The Board finds that a new examination is needed as the previous one was inadequate.

The Board has remanded the case for further review due to issues with lumbosacral strain and psychiatric disorder. The current rating for acquired psychiatric disorder remains at 70 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability alone prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to March 18, 2020.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU rating from January 19, 2019 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. Effective dates prior to July 23, 2019 are not warranted.,No effective date prior to July 23, 2019 is granted for the award of DEA benefits.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to additional relevant STRs being added to the file after the initial decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to depression and for special monthly compensation due to loss of use of creative organ, finding a duty to assist error in not considering the possibility that the erectile dysfunction may be related to his service-connected depression.

The Board restored the Veteran's PTSD rating from 70 percent to 70 percent effective September 1, 2021, as there was no sustained material improvement in his service-connected PTSD under ordinary conditions of daily life.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is granted as secondary to his service-connected Crohn's disease and gastritis.,Service connection for depression was denied due to lack of probative evidence of a diagnosed disability at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 30 percent prior to September 28, 2018. The Board granted a 100 percent rating for PTSD effective September 28, 2018.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of sleep apnea as aggravated by his service-connected major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's death is not related to her military service, and the appellant seeks nonservice-connected survivor's pension benefits based on her pre-existing conditions. The appeal requires further development of her service records.

The Board has determined that the AOJ did not substantially comply with the January 2018 remand directives and therefore, both issues of entitlement to an earlier effective date for PTSD claimed as depressive disorder NOS and entitlement to an initial evaluation greater than 30 percent disabling for PTSD claimed as depressive disorder NOS are being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety disorder and sleep apnea are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence. The claim for an increased rating for major depressive disorder with dysthymia is also being remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically unspecified depressive disorder, was caused by or is otherwise related to his service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right knee osteoarthritis and acquired psychiatric disorder due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to clarify his diagnoses and determine if they are related to service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed as he did not file a Notice of Disagreement within the one-year period following his August 8, 2019 decision.

The appeals for service connection of depression, coronary artery disease, and hypertension have been dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's depressive disorder is secondary to his service-connected residuals of left knee strain, and therefore grants the claim.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating higher than 100 percent for PTSD with MDD was denied. The appeal for an effective date prior to May 16, 2016 for SMC was also denied.