Depression Board decisions

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, depression, varicose veins, and bilateral inguinal hernias due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the appellant and veteran are entitled to restoration of $350 per month in VA disability compensation benefits for their children and spouse, given their financial circumstances and the current income and expenses.

The Board has granted an effective date of August 1, 1997 for the assignment of a separate 40 percent rating for fibromyalgia with major depression.

The Board found no evidence of anxiety and depression during service, or for many years after discharge. The veteran's current conditions were not shown to be related to his naval service.

The veteran's sleep disorder, allergic rhinitis with chronic sinusitis, and anxiety neurosis with depression are not service-connected. The VA has assigned a rating for asthma but denied the claims for additional evaluations.

The Board has determined that the July 1995 rating decision, which granted service connection for major depression as secondary to service-connected tinnitus, was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous. Therefore, service connection for major depression is restored.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD and his acquired psychiatric disorder did not develop in service. Personality disorders are not disabilities for service connection, and no psychosis was incurred within the first post-service year.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral pes planus did not clearly and unmistakably preexist service, nor was it aggravated by service. The veteran is also denied special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance due to his disabilities.

The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise regarding whether the veteran's diagnosed dysthymia was aggravated by his service-connected myofascial pain syndrome of the lumbar spine, warranting service connection for a psychiatric disability secondary to this condition.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability due to new and material evidence submitted since the final June 1981 decision. The claim is now considered on its merits.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current acceptable diagnosis of PTSD and his depressive disorder is not linked to service. Therefore, service connection for a psychiatric disorder was denied.

The veteran's nerve damage of the left upper extremity is presumed to have been incurred in service. The effective date for TDIU was determined to be June 15, 2000. The reduction of the rating for depressive disorder from 10 percent to non-compensable is granted as of September 15, 2000.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected anxiety reaction does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 30 percent.

The veteran's schizophrenia warrants a 70 percent evaluation, and he is not entitled to a total rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic depressive disorder, initially manifested during active service, is service-connected.

The Board denied the claim that the veteran's death was due to inadequate VA treatment, finding that the treatment provided did not cause his suicide.

The Board has determined that the veteran's major depressive disorder is proximately due to his service-connected residuals of a fracture of the right ankle, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's service-connected major depression due to brain injury with PTSD symptoms is currently rated at 50 percent, and the RO has assigned a total rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's major depression is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected bone cyst of the right shoulder, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The veteran's major depression has been manifested by disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships. The RO granted service connection for major depression with a disability rating of 30 percent.