Depression Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected major depression warrants a rating of 50 percent, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board has determined that the veteran's son, R., may not be recognized as a 'helpless child' on the basis of permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining the age of eighteen.

The veteran's medical expenses incurred at Tillamook County General Hospital on January 27, 1998 were approved because the care was necessary due to an emergency situation and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Board denied a request for an earlier effective date of April 28, 1998 for a 100% disability evaluation for major depression.

The veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent from January 11, 2000. The appeal for a higher rating prior to that date was denied.

The Board found that the veteran's manic depression/bipolar disorder did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 50 percent, as he did not exhibit severe impairment of social and industrial adaptability.

The Board has appellate jurisdiction to consider the veteran's claims for service connection for depression and eye disability as secondary to his service-connected headache disability. The veteran timely appealed these issues, but additional evidence submitted within one year of the initial denial was not considered in a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The veteran's case is being remanded due to the need for a hearing before a member of the Board at the RO.

The Board found that the veteran did not have any service-connected disabilities related to his exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The Board denied all claims for service connection as well as the claim for TDIU due to lack of evidence supporting these claims.

The case is remanded to the RO for scheduling a videoconference hearing and notifying the veteran of consequences for failing to appear without good cause.

The Board has granted an increased evaluation to 50 percent for the veteran's service-connected schizophrenic reaction, unclassified, effective July 2001.

The veteran's disabilities, including Parkinson's disease and dementia with depression, do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for alcoholism and depression as secondary to alcoholism due to a lack of legal merit, as VA compensation benefits for alcoholism are precluded by law.

The Board has granted service connection for depression and traumatic arthritis of the shoulders, both presumed to be related to the veteran's time as a prisoner of war. Service connection for ischemic heart disease was denied due to lack of current evidence.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for major depression, finding that there is no relationship between his current psychiatric symptoms and those noted during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's major depression is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD. The additional evidence includes diagnoses of PTSD related to the veteran's Gulf War experiences.

The veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for major depressive disorder was denied. The appeal for dependents' educational assistance prior to January 4, 2000 was also denied. However, the Board granted an effective date of May 22, 2001 for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and degenerative disc disease. Service connection was not granted for hypertension due to lack of evidence.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for depression and schizophrenia, finding that there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service.