Depression Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in a prior VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is caused or aggravated by his service-connected major depressive disorder and PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, recurrent severe MDD with psychotic features, moderate cannabis use disorder, and moderate alcohol use disorder, due to military sexual trauma. The decision is based on the Veteran's consistent reports of her in-service sexual assault, which led to pregnancy and abortion.

The Board has remanded the claims for right ear cholesteatoma, tonsil and adenoid disability, and depression and memory loss due to Camp Lejeune contaminated water exposure. The Veteran needs additional medical opinions regarding whether these conditions are related to service or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's MDD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted. The evidence does not show occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas or total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder, anxiety, and PTSD, due to personal assault. The evidence shows that the Veteran experienced military sexual trauma during her service which led to current mental health conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of issues including service connection for sinusitis, TMJ disorder, bilateral foot disorder (plantar fasciitis), and an initial rating greater than 10 percent for GERD and IBS with inflammatory bowel disease. The Veteran's PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder is already rated as part of his TBI.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted. The right knee pain and acquired psychiatric condition are related to her service-connected back, left knee, and right hip disabilities. Tinnitus is presumed due to in-service noise exposure. Bilateral hearing loss has not been established as a disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate discussion of potentially favorable evidence and failure to seek out service treatment records through the Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC). The Veteran's in-service stressors need to be verified, and a VA psychological evaluation is required.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The Veteran's mental health symptoms are believed to have worsened after his deployments in Southwest Asia.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder due to conflicting evidence from different VA examinations, requiring further clarification of the diagnostic criteria and etiology.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected unspecified depressive disorder and entitlement to a TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and PTSD. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating of PTSD, with depressive disorder and alcohol abuse disorder was denied. The Board also remanded the TDIU claim due to insufficient information on employment status.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the service connection for major depressive disorder, fear of flying, and claustrophobia. The Veteran's symptoms are related to in-service events.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, which includes PTSD and depression. The Veteran's symptoms were shown in service and have persisted since then.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his back injury in service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for major depressive disorder was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to April 29, 2011 for the grant of service connection for manic depression with anxiety and alcoholism. The decision found that there was no basis for assigning such an effective date.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an additional examination for the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities, specifically to determine their etiology and whether they clearly and unmistakably pre-existed his entry into active service.

The Veteran's MDD was not rated in excess of 50 percent prior to March 5, 2019.,Beginning March 5, 2019, the Veteran is entitled to a rating of 70 percent for his MDD.,For the entire period on appeal, the Veteran has been granted TDIU based on service-connected disabilities.