Depression decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and MDD, finding that the Veteran's current mental health conditions are related to his in-service personal assault during boot camp.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disability, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression, is at least as likely as not related to his combat service. As a result, the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability is granted.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current diagnosis of such disability.,The Veteran's claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, neck disorder, and rheumatoid arthritis are all denied due to the lack of a current diagnosis.

Hypertension and generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder have been granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during active service. Dyslipidemia has not been granted as a disability for which VA benefits may be awarded.,The Veteran's thyroid disability, heart disability (claimed as related to herbicide agent exposure), recurrent cervical spine, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, ankle, foot disabilities, gout, kidney disability, scrotum cyst, sleep apnea, and vertigo have been remanded for further review. The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent prior to January 28, 2022, and in excess of 50 percent from January 28, 2022, to June 1, 2022, for migraine including migraine variants has also been remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD has been rated at 70 percent since May 30, 2014, and the Board grants this rating.,The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher than 70 percent disability rating for his PTSD with MDD on or after April 27, 2018.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history, leading to the grant of a TDIU for the entire appeal period.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, and will schedule an examination for the Veteran's service-connected Major Depressive Disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to provide a VA examination and verify stressors, which could affect the determination of service connection for PTSD and other psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records.

The Board has decided to remand both claims for increased evaluations of TBI and major depressive disorder due to inadequate examinations and the need for new assessments.

The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and alcohol use disorder in remission, has prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether he is unable to secure or follow such an occupation.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety and depression due to insufficient medical evidence on file. The Veteran reported in-service stressors, including unwanted advances and disciplinary actions, which may be related to her current psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder (other specified anxiety disorder and other specified depressive disorder) is found to have caused or contributed substantially to his death due to acute intoxication from fentanyl and cocaine. The Board granted the claim for cause of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's depressive disorder is caused by his service-connected lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis, and thus grants service connection for this condition as secondary to his primary disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to October 2, 2018, for the grant of service connection for erectile dysfunction secondary to his service-connected unspecified depressive disorder. The most probative evidence showed that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction was due to his psychiatric disability rather than his spine disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, major depressive disorder, and disability manifested by insomnia due to inadequate medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD. The AOJ will obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician to address all relevant lay and medical evidence of record.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating of 70 percent, but not more, for major depressive disorder is granted. The claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is also granted. The claims for service connection for TBI and dizziness are remanded.

The Board has decided that the cause of the Veteran's death, Parkinson's disease, is not service-connected. The issues regarding whether his major depressive disorder with anxiety and panic attacks contributed to his death are also remanded for further development.

The Veteran's depressive disorder is rated at 50 percent effective October 23, 2008. The Board also granted a TDIU from February 25, 2009.