Depression decisions — 2026

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is denied as he does not have a current disability.,The Veteran's prostate cancer claim is denied due to lack of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and insufficient evidence linking his condition to service.,The Veteran's left ankle disability claim is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding pre-existing versus in-service aggravation.,The Veteran's lower back disability claim is remanded for a VA examination and medical opinion on the relationship between his current condition and service.,The Veteran's depression claim is remanded for a VA examination and medical opinion on the relationship between his current condition and service.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is remanded for a new VA examination to determine if he has hearing loss and whether it is related to service.,The Veteran's type 2 diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, and nontoxic goiter claims are remanded for further examination and opinion regarding their relationship to his left ankle injury.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim is remanded for a VA examination and medical opinion on the relationship between his current condition and service.,The Veteran's nontoxic goiter claim is remanded for a VA examination and medical opinion on the relationship between his current condition and service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new psychiatric examination.

The Veteran withdrew his claim for a higher than 70 percent disability rating for major depressive disorder, and the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has granted a 100 percent disability rating for the Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder, finding that his symptoms warrant this level of disability throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability, along with other disabilities, rendered her unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of April 1, 2020. She is granted a TDIU effective from that date.,Effective April 1, 2020, the Veteran also received SMC at the 's' rate due to having one service-connected disability rated as 100 percent disabling and additional disabilities independently rated at least 60 percent disabling.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, depression, and anxiety disorder. The claim was reopened due to new evidence showing continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for anxiety, depression, and insomnia was dismissed due to an impermissible concurrent election. The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS).

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as she withdrew her request to continue the appeal regarding a higher rating for her psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right ankle ankylosis and knee replacements, have prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since January 30, 2024. The Board has granted a TDIU based on this finding.

The Board has granted service connection for GERD, finding that it is either directly related to the Veteran's exposure to toxins in Southwest Asia or secondary to his service-connected PTSD with depressive disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD, alcohol use disorder and unspecified depressive disorder was denied. The Board found that the symptoms did not more closely approximate those associated with a 100 percent rating.

The Veteran's left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is found to be related to service, and the claim for this condition is granted. The claims for major depressive disorder with anxious distress and nerve damage with sore gums are remanded.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder with anxious distress is granted as service-connected. The claims for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's low back disability and psychiatric disability have been granted service connection with effective dates of November 30, 2010.,Service connection for a psychiatric disability was also granted with an effective date of November 27, 2012.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for Parkinson's disease and depressive disorder, with anxious distress as secondary to Parkinson's disease.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for major depression, finding that it is related to events of service. The evidence received since the prior denial supports this determination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to insufficient evidence and need further evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 70% rating for PTSD with major depression and alcohol use disorder prior to January 29, 2024 is denied. The issue of entitlement to TDIU since June 6, 2025, is dismissed as moot due to the Veteran's combined schedular evaluation of 100 percent.

The Board has granted an effective date of September 19, 2016 for the award of service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with Major Depressive Disorder. The appeal is remanded for further action on the TDIU claim and to determine if a rating prior to January 8, 2020 should be assigned.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and PTSD due to a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran's file must be reviewed, and she should be scheduled for a VA examination.