Depression decisions — 2024

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a TDIU, so the issue is dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for depression, left knee, and right knee conditions are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. Clarification is needed on whether all attempts were made to obtain the Veteran's complete service treatment records, and an attempt must be made to obtain his prison medical records.

The Board has vacated the June 28, 2024 decision and dismissed the appeal of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to a withdrawal by the appellant.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorder is currently rated at 70% for the entire appeal period, and the Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating as they do not meet the criteria for total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee chondromalacia patella and remanded the claim for service connection for depressive disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and sleep apnea. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or were related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include major depressive disorder, based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected persistent depressive disorder with pure dysthymic syndrome is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error regarding non-VA care records.

The Veteran's combined evaluation for compensation has been 100 percent from February 1, 2021. The Board granted earlier effective dates of March 18, 2019, for the grants of service connection for PTSD with major depression disorder, sleep apnea, and hypertension.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for the Veteran's panic disorder with major depressive disorder, as the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms did not more closely approximate occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for GERD with generalized abdominal pain and splenic flexure but granted service connection for depression as secondary to the veteran's GERD.

The Veteran's depression symptoms are subsumed in the already service-connected major depressive disorder recurrent, moderate severity, unspecified anxiety disorder and insomnia disorder. Therefore, the appeal for service connection for depression is dismissed as moot.

The Board denied a separate disability rating for short-term memory loss as a residual manifestation of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), finding that the Veteran's symptoms were attributable to his service-connected PTSD and MDD, rather than MS.

The Veteran's rating for unspecified depressive disorder and TBI was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The effective date of service connection for these conditions was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, major depression, and insomnia prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation as of January 17, 2019.

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, but not to the extent that would warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depression, anxiety condition, PTSD, nightmares, suicide, and memory loss, are remanded due to inadequate VA examination in November 2021.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is caused by his service-connected PTSD.,PTSD has been rated at 70% since April 7, 2017. The Board granted a TDIU from September 14, 2015 through April 6, 2017.

The Board has granted service connection for depression, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis is at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury (MST) and resolving all reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, specifically not affording the Veteran a mental health VA examination for his claimed psychiatric disorders.