Depression Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's current mental health conditions are linked to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's psychiatric disorders are related to his service. The appellant contends that her husband's post-service depression is linked to his military service, and the VA must provide an etiology opinion on this issue before deciding on DIC benefits.

The Veteran's depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder is rated at 50 percent disabling, effective from the date of this decision.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability, increased ratings for his bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, and service connection for a neck disorder. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was reopened due to new and material evidence being submitted.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for depression was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. However, his claim remains denied as he is not granted service connection.,The Veteran's scars are currently assigned a noncompensable rating. The issue has been remanded for further action.

The Board granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with anxiety and depression, effective from January 11, 2011. The Veteran's claim was reopened on new evidence.

The Veteran's current diagnosis of depression is related to his service, specifically the two inpatient periods during active duty in the Army.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a psychiatric examination.

The claims of service connection for a psychiatric disability, nosebleeds/sinusitis, and OSA have been reopened. The effective date is set to July 31, 2012.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including gastrointestinal disturbances, diabetes mellitus type II, headache disability, sleep disability (claimed as sleep disturbances), peripheral neuropathy in multiple extremities, anxiety disorder and depressive disorder. The reasons given were that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of these conditions or they were not related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis changes of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 40 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available.,The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder and pain disorder are currently rated at 30 percent.

The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine (lumbar spine disability), and major depressive disorder as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and active duty.

The appeal of the issue of entitlement to an increased rating for linear scar from cyst removal of the tailbone is dismissed. The Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the existence and etiology of any current psychiatric disability, including PTSD. The Veteran's reported stressors events during his eligible period of service from August 1982 to June 2, 1986 need to be evaluated for their impact on his acquired psychiatric disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, finding that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and her depressive and anxiety disorders are not related to any in-service injury or event.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, is service-connected due to a verified in-service stressor.

The Veteran's application for nonservice-connected pension was denied in November 1999 due to failure to show permanent and total disability. The claim was not reopened until December 3, 2012, when the Veteran applied again with evidence of Social Security benefits. The Board found that an earlier effective date prior to December 3, 2012 could not be assigned.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability and a rating in excess of 50 percent for unspecified depressive disorder. The decision found that there was no current right shoulder disability, and the Veteran’s depressive disorder did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for his acquired psychiatric condition, including PTSD, MDD, and alcohol use disorder, is being remanded due to new evidence received by VA and the need for an updated examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting medical evidence regarding the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders and the need for a VA examination.