Depression Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for major depressive disorder is being remanded due to incomplete development and need for a VA retrospective medical opinion.

The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders are related to his military service. The previous opinion was based on an incorrect factual premise and is therefore inadequate.

The Veteran's initial disability rating of 50 percent for PTSD with depression has been increased to 70 percent.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations and service connection have been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine his need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's depression is found to be etiologically related to his service-connected narcolepsy, and the claim for service connection for depression as secondary to narcolepsy is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and cold injury residuals is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of his claims.

The appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional records and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder, which are at least as likely as not due to service. The Board grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran is seeking compensation benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 for a cerebrovascular accident, to include depression, which he claims was caused by a failure to obtain informed consent prior to an attempted percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in February 2007. The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the appropriate informed consent was obtained and whether the Veteran's stroke was reasonably foreseeable.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent disabling, the maximum rating available under VA regulations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and to ensure all relevant VA treatment records have been considered.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his in-service hospitalization records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, when evaluated in association with his education and occupational experience, have at least as likely as not made him unable to obtain and retain substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that TDIU is warranted.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status has been denied as he is not in need of such assistance.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is related to his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted a TDIU based on this finding.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected depression and any other psychiatric disorders. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the issue of an initial disability rating for depression.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of major depressive disorder is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's psychiatric conditions, including PTSD and depression, were not related to his service. The claim was denied as there is no direct or presumptive evidence linking these conditions to his military service.