Depression Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the claims for PTSD, anxiety and depression, and TBI due to incomplete records. The Veteran's service treatment records and VA treatment records need to be obtained to determine if he sustained an in-service head injury that could lead to a current TBI.

The Board has remanded the case due to unresolved issues regarding the Veteran's claimed stressors and exposure, as well as the need for verification of these events.

The Veteran's service-connected TBI with major depressive disorder with anxious features is granted an initial 70 percent rating for the period prior to June 1, 2017. The claim for a higher disability rating and TDIU are denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeal due to inadequate compliance with prior remand directives. The issues of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorders, eye disability, dizziness, and gastrointestinal disability are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connection due to in-service acoustic trauma.,Tinnitus has not been present during the period of the claim or approximate thereto.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder, mitral regurgitation, and hypertension have been granted service connection. The claims for hiatal hernia and esophagus stricture are being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is dismissed. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, is granted. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for mechanical low back pain and post-operative left anterior cruciate ligament repair are remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for right hip disabilities and service connection for right elbow ulnar nerve neuropathy have been dismissed. The appeal to reopen his claim of service connection for right elbow ulnar nerve neuropathy, claimed as secondary to a service-connected left wrist fracture with retrograde ulnar nerve neuritis, has been granted. His initial rating for major depressive disorder is set at 70 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for depression as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee osteoarthritis.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to inadequate notification of a scheduled VA examination.

The Veteran's TDIU rating is granted, and service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, to include depressive disorder, has been reopened. The Board finds that additional development is needed due to the passage of time since the last VA examination and the need to obtain Social Security Administration records.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence. The claim for acquired psychiatric disability remains denied.

The Veteran's fatty liver disease is granted a 10% rating from October 22, 2014. The anxiety disorder is granted a 50% rating from October 22, 2014 to July 5, 2017 and a 70% rating from July 5, 2017 to April 1, 2019. The Veteran's atrial fibrillation and carpal tunnel syndromes are granted initial ratings of 10%.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence, including missing VA and private treatment records from his time in Frankfurt, Germany. The Veteran is also asked to provide authorization for VA to obtain these records.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary due to the complexity of the claims and the need for a medical opinion. The Veteran's conditions are related to chemotherapy administered at the VA Medical Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and earlier effective dates have been dismissed. A rating of 50 percent has been granted for posttraumatic cephalgia with migraine headaches from September 19, 2011 to June 17, 2014.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for unspecified depressive disorder with psychotic features was denied. A TDIU was granted effective January 13, 2015.

The Veteran's depression is rated at 70 percent from October 7, 2010 to June 29, 2017. The appeal for a higher initial evaluation and an earlier effective date for DEA benefits was granted.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for depression, including as secondary to a service-connected right knee disability and/or a service-connected lumbar spine (low back) disability due to conflicting medical opinions.