Depression Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected dysthymic disorder with depression and anxiety does not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for post-surgical scars on the lumbar spine was denied. The cervical spine disability and major depression claims were not granted.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude a return to substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for a new VA psychiatric examination using DSM-IV criteria, and to confirm his current address.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and major depressive disorder have been rated at 70 percent since the examination, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depressive disorder and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that he meets the criteria for TDIU based on his service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's migraines, depression, hypertension, gout, and hepatitis C are related to his active duty service. The Veteran's PTSD is not supported by evidence of record.

The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorder with panic attacks have been rated at the maximum allowable under the applicable rating criteria. The pseudotumor cerebri has not been found to affect her ability to work, leading to a denial of her claim for increased disability ratings.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, psychotic disorder NOS, and bipolar disorder NOS, had their onset during military service and are otherwise etiologically related to his military service. After applying the benefit of doubt, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD is granted, as his current symptoms are related to his active-duty service and not his years of substance abuse.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's depression is causally related to his service-connected PTSD and diabetes-related disabilities, leading to a grant of service connection for depression.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to procedural issues with the increased rating claim and for a VA examination regarding the Veteran's bilateral knee and back disabilities.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder with major depression has resulted in at least occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas since May 20, 2007.,The Veteran's service-connected disability has prevented him from engaging in substantially gainful employment for which his education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify him since May 20, 2007.

The Veteran's mood disorder is proximately due to his service-connected residuals of a low back injury, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain additional medical opinions and records in order to determine if the Veteran's service-connected conditions contributed substantially or materially to his cause of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for depression and granted it, finding that new and material evidence had been received since the June 2010 RO decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed conditions of PTSD, anxiety, depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and adjustment disorder with mixed emotional features are related to her service. As such, she is granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including verifying the Veteran's in-service stressful experiences and attempting to link her diagnosed psychiatric disabilities (PTSD and major depressive disorder) to these events. The appeal will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD does not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus denying his claim for a TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent since May 29, 2014. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's current psychiatric symptoms are minimal to mild and result in no more than slight impairment in social, occupational, and educational functioning.