Depression Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran should be afforded the presumption of soundness due to his mental health issues prior to enlistment. However, VA has not met its burden of proving by clear and unmistakable evidence that bipolar disorder pre-existed service. The Board finds a new VA medical opinion is needed to address the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired mental health disability, to include bipolar disorder.

The Veteran's major depression with low back pain is granted a 100% evaluation, effective from the date of the decision. The appeal for TDIU was dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA mental disorders examination. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated to determine if a separate or higher rating is warranted on the basis of social effects of his hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD, depression, and anxiety due to a lack of current diagnoses that meet DSM-V criteria.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and insufficient evidence to establish service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety and depressive disorders. The Veteran's mental health symptoms are linked to military service but there is no direct evidence of a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's right knee disability is not service-connected. The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD with anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, panic disorder, alcohol abuse, and cocaine abuse prior to March 4, 2017, as the symptoms did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's MDD is rated at 50 percent, but a higher rating of 70 percent has been granted.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted a rating of 10% from April 1, 2013 to August 20, 2014. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and anxiety) is also granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral plantar fasciitis and major depressive disorder have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if any current psychiatric disorder is related to military service. The Veteran's personnel records show he served in Iraq from April 2002 to September 2002.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, variously diagnosed as anxiety, depression, mood disorder, unspecified trauma- and stressor-related disorder, and unspecified bipolar-related disorder is granted. Service connection for substance abuse disorders (including methamphetamine and opioid use disorders and substance induced psychosis) secondary to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disabilities is also granted.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disability, including depression with anxiety and memory loss, should be remanded due to failure to report for a VA examination. The Veteran must be scheduled for a new medical examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as anxiety and depression) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to her military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, finding no competent evidence linking his current condition to his military service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder, finding that the Veteran does not have PTSD, depressive disorder, or an anxiety disorder. The Board also found no evidence of polysubstance dependency being secondary to any service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service-connected major depression and primary insomnia are being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his conditions, as well as for obtaining Social Security Administration (SSA) records that may be relevant to assessing his entitlement to TDIU.

The Veteran's persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress resulted in occupational and social impairment prior to February 12, 2018. The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for this condition.

The Board denied the reopening of the claim for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, as none of the submitted records provided a nexus between the Veteran's major depressive disorder and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, to include PTSD and depression, has been reopened. The Board finds that new evidence received since the June 2007 rating decision is material and grants this aspect of the appeal. However, the claims for bilateral foot disability (claimed as frostbite) and right great toe disability are remanded due to insufficient development.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.