Depression Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for a supplemental medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders are related to his active duty or any incidents therein, including reports of being beaten and sexually abused by his sergeant.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for service-connected depressive disorder and anxiety disorder has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and procedural issues. The Veteran will need a VA examination to assess his psychiatric conditions, including PTSD.

The Veteran's depression has been rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that an increased rating is not warranted due to his symptoms being productive of occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disability, including depressive disorder, as well as his claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea secondary to a psychiatric disability have all been denied.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development and examination, including service connection claims for various psychiatric disorders, hypertension, substance abuse, Meniere’s disease, hearing loss, impotence, and special monthly compensation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the baseline level of severity of the Veteran's psychiatric conditions prior to their aggravation by service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's claim for secondary service connection is being returned for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to February 13, 2020, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The case is REMANDED for further development and adjudication, including consideration of a TDIU claim.

The Veteran's service-connected major depression and dysthymia were rated at a 30 percent disability rating from October 27, 2009 to November 15, 2011.,After the initial grant of service connection for TBI combined with major depression and dysthymia on November 15, 2011, the Veteran's condition was rated at a 70 percent disability rating.

The Veteran is seeking to have the May 1999 rating decision, which denied service connection for major depressive disorder, reviewed due to a claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE). The appeal is currently focused on whether his May 2000 notice of disagreement was timely filed.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depressive disorder, was first manifested on active duty service and is granted as service connected. The claim for osteoarthritis of the bilateral knees and tension headaches remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his in-service stressor and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that his symptoms are subsumed by his existing service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and persistent depressive disorder, is remanded due to the inadequacy of the May 2017 VA examination. The case will be returned for a new examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed Major Depressive Disorder is secondary to pain associated with his service-connected disabilities, and thus grants service connection for MDD.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of any current acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically depression. The Veteran was diagnosed with major depression in 2011 and has been prescribed medication for it since then.

The Veteran's muscle disability due to an unspecified undiagnosed illness is granted. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability (anxiety and depression) is also granted. However, the Veteran's claims for compensable ratings for tendon repair surgery of the ring finger and scar from left inguinal hernia repair are denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for whether new and material evidence has been presented to reopen a claim of entitlement service connection for depression, to include as secondary to service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, for accrued benefits purposes, and entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death. The AOJ is instructed to issue a supplemental statement of the case addressing these issues.

The Veteran's PTSD, alcohol-use disorder, and major depression are now rated at 70 percent effective June 12, 2014. The appeal for an increased rating is granted.