Depression Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine disorder, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, sleep disturbance, and memory loss. The issues have been remanded due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection was not granted as there is no direct evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder and depression. The Veteran's heart condition is remanded for further examination to determine if it is a congenital defect or disease and whether any superimposed diseases or injuries occurred during service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and antisocial personality disorder, is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his depressive disorder and anxiety disorder.

The Board has remanded several issues for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing supplemental opinions regarding the etiology of various disabilities. Service connection is denied for residuals of a left forearm injury.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and drug use are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's substance abuse is also granted as secondary to his acquired psychiatric disorder.,Service connection for hepatitis C is remanded due to lack of a VA medical opinion on its etiology.,Service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion.

The Veteran's OSA and other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder with panic attacks are granted service connection. The lumbar spine, cervical spine, right knee, left knee, and MDD claims are remanded for additional development.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for asthma, seizure disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD, depressive disorder, adjustment disorder, conversion disorder) due to incomplete records. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, as there was no evidence showing that his current conditions were caused by events during active military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied for various conditions, including high cholesterol, gout, erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, a sleep disability, a heart disability, urinary incontinence, an acquired psychiatric disability (to include depression and anxiety), headaches, a prostate disability, a thyroid disability, and hypertension. The Board found that there was no evidence of current disabilities or a causal relationship to service for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA addendum medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and MDD with anxiety. The TDIU claim is also being deferred until the service connection issue is resolved.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial disability evaluation in excess of 30 percent for service-connected chronic adjustment disorder with anxiety, depression, and paranoia and his claim for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to inadequate examination findings.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment, so his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new and material evidence having been received. The low back disability, acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and major depressive disorder), and gout are all being reviewed for their potential relationship to service.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for PTSD with major depressive disorder and alcohol dependence prior to January 31, 2007 is remanded due to the need for clarification of the severity of his condition. The appeal for TDIU prior to August 30, 2006 is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the PTSD rating issue.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder preexisted service and was aggravated by military service. The claim for reopening a personality disorder claim is also remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities, as there is no evidence showing that any of his service-connected conditions alone or in combination render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a depressive disorder has been reopened and granted. The claims for right shoulder and left shoulder disorders have not been reopened.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of depression was denied. The rating for his service-connected depression remains at 50 percent, but the Veteran is still seeking a higher rating and TDIU.

The Veteran's depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, effective prior to September 11, 2019. His diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 20 percent.