Depression Board decisions

The Veteran's service connection for PTSD and depressive disorder is granted. The initial rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss remains at noncompensable (0%). A higher initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is denied. Service connection for a lumbar spine disorder is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for depression as secondary to his service-connected right and left knee disabilities, and for TDIU due to service-connected disability. The Veteran will need a VA examination to address these issues.

The Board has decided the case in favor of the Veteran, finding sufficient evidence to warrant a VA examination and remanding for further action.

The Board has denied service connection for breathing difficulties, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including manic depression, alcohol abuse, mood disorder and sleep disorder), a sleep disorder, vertigo with dizziness, and headaches. The claims are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board denied requests for earlier effective dates for service connection decisions related to COPD, CHF, and MDD. The claims were granted based on the date of receipt of the applications.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, specifically major depressive disorder and paraphilia. The VA must obtain all outstanding VA treatment records and schedule the Veteran for a VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for major depressive disorder is granted, and the appeal is remanded to determine if his current depression is related to military service.

The Board has decided that a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, other than his personality disorder, is related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an error in using DSM-5 criteria instead of DSM-IV during a previous examination. The Veteran needs to be examined again to determine if he has any acquired psychiatric disabilities, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and whether these are related to his service.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to service-connected sarcoidosis.,Greater trochanteric bursitis of the right hip and left hip are each rated at 10%.,Low back pain with degenerative joint disease does not meet criteria for a higher rating.,Left knee and right knee degenerative joint diseases are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for nervous condition (claimed as depression), pulmonary condition, erectile dysfunction, respiratory problems, and migraines have been denied.,New evidence has not been received to reopen the claims of service connection for nervous condition (claimed as depression) and pulmonary condition.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claim of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder was also denied.,Service connection could not be established as the Veteran did not have a current disability that began during or was related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, as the evidence did not show that they precluded him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of major depressive disorder and remanded his lower back disability claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability is reopened.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, to include degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the cervical spine, is reopened.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include depression, is reopened. The Veteran was granted entitlement to service connection for major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. However, the appeals for other conditions remain pending as they require further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied as there is no credible evidence linking his current condition to military service.,Service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, with the presumption that it was incurred during active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but has remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability (claimed as post-traumatic stress disorder) is rated at 30 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant an increased rating to 50 percent or above.

The Board has vacated its previous decision and is remanding the claims for additional development due to failure to provide proper notice of scheduled VA examinations.