Depression Board decisions

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent disabling, effective June 29, 1998. The claim to reopen a lung disability was denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not meet the eligibility requirements for financial assistance in purchasing an automobile or adaptive equipment due to his service-connected disabilities, as they do not result in loss of use of one or both feet or hands.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a respiratory disorder, skin rash, hair loss, otitis externa, tinnitus, inguinal lymph node hyperplasia, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and a psychiatric disorder. The veteran's claims were not well grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current mental health issues, including depression and memory problems, are related to his head injury sustained during service in 1956.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD with anxiety and depression did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent prior to November 9, 1999 or in excess of 50 percent from that date.

The VA denied the veteran's claim that they improperly recouped his severance pay, as the evidence showed no prior recoupment of the $3,241.20 in severance pay and the entire amount was recouped from May 1999 to May 2000.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected major depression had improved and granted a reduction from 30% to noncompensable effective October 1, 1999.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's disabilities, including generalized arthralgias, status post colectomy for polyps, and status post adenoma of the duodenum, do not meet the criteria for a permanent and total rating for pension purposes due to their combined 40 percent evaluation.

The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing head injury residuals did not permanently increase in severity during military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability, manic depression, and seizure disorder. The veteran's right knee strain is rated at 10 percent, effective from the date of his claim in March 1996. Service connection for scoliosis was not established prior to June 9, 1997.

The Board found that the effective date for service connection of Generalized Anxiety Disorder with Depression should be December 18, 1991, as this was when a VA psychiatric examination diagnosed the condition and related it to a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cardiovascular disorder and psychiatric disorder are not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected disabilities, including residuals of a left knee meniscectomy with degenerative joint disease, right ankle disorder, and lumbosacral strain.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for depression, allowing her to proceed with the merits of her case.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including a depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. The evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred during active military service.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for major depression with anxiety features as secondary to his service-connected left knee condition, based on new medical opinions that the veteran's depression was aggravated by his knee pain.

The veteran's TDIU rating was granted and later discontinued. The decision finds that the discontinuance of the TDIU was void ab initio due to failure to consider the appropriate regulatory standard.

The Board found that the veteran's major depressive disorder, rated at 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 9434, did not meet criteria for a higher rating as it resulted in definite social and industrial impairment but no more than occasional decrease in work efficiency.

The veteran's neurotic depression is currently rated at 70 percent, effective January 27, 2000. The Board found that the symptoms did not warrant a higher rating as they did not meet the criteria for total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's gastrointestinal disorder, psychiatric disorder (chronic depression), ovarian cysts, and asthmatic bronchitis are all service-connected.

The Board has determined that an effective date earlier than July 1997 for the award of TDIU benefits is denied. The veteran's claim was received in July 1997, and there is no evidence showing a factual increase in disability warranting TDIU benefits within one year prior to this date.