Depression Board decisions

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for service connection for depression and anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, over-active sensory nervous system, and migraine headaches, all secondary to her service-connected TMJ syndrome due to dental trauma.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic mental disability due to an undiagnosed illness during service and denied the veteran's claim.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date of December 10, 1998, for his service connection for a major depressive disorder with generalized anxiety.

The veteran's claims for service connection for depression and PTSD were denied. The claim for an initial compensable rating for the appendectomy scar is remanded.

The veteran's application for nonservice-connected pension benefits was denied as his disabilities are not rated at 60% or more combined, and he does not meet the percentage requirements based on service-connected conditions. The VA determined that his unemployability is due to his own willful misconduct related to alcohol abuse.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for major depression is being remanded due to the need for VCAA compliance.

The Board has ordered a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any PTSD, including identifying stressors and assessing whether it is at least as likely as not attributable to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right and left knee disabilities, a left ankle disability, dysthymia with depression, PTSD, and a heart disability claimed as tachycardia. The decision also noted that new evidence submitted did not meet the criteria to reopen the claim for service connection of the heart disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, finding that his current mental disorders were not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to substantiate the veteran's claim for service connection for anxiety and depression, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for acquired depression, finding no nexus between his current diagnosis and active duty service.

The Board found that the veteran's major depression is related to his service, specifically to chronic pain he experienced due to his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has determined that the appellant's depressive disorder is related to his military service and granted service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, including a scar of the left chest and residuals from shrapnel wounds to his shoulders. The major depressive disorder is also considered service-connected.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for bipolar disorder, finding that his symptoms were adequately addressed by a 50 percent evaluation.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected psychoneurosis, anxiety disorder with depression, as the evidence indicated that the symptomatology attributable to this disability had remained relatively stable since his last VA medical evaluation in 1998.

The veteran's widow is seeking accrued benefits based on the severity of his service-connected PTSD. However, there were no unpaid VA benefits due to him at the time of his death and he had no pending claims for VA benefits when he died.

The veteran's combined disability rating is 30 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's headaches, muscle aches, insomnia and sleeplessness, fatigue, memory loss, joint pain and stiffness, depression, numbness in extremities, bleeding from gums, and frequent thirst are all considered to be due to undiagnosed illnesses related to his service in the Persian Gulf War. As such, these claims have been granted.