Depression Board decisions

The veteran's claim for service connection for major depression was denied due to lack of well-groundedness. The Board has ordered additional development including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA psychiatric examination.

The case is remanded to the RO for adjudication of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, claimed as anxiety and depression. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disability will be readjudicated after resolving the service connection issue.

The veteran's claims for memory loss, depression, nervousness, night sweats, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, fatigue and shyness are denied. The rash and joint pain issues remain pending as their status is unknown.

The veteran is found to be permanently and totally disabled due to his psychiatric conditions, which preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic fatigue syndrome, musculoskeletal pain of the wrists, shoulders, hips, neck and knees, muscle weakness, headaches, night sweats, burning eyes, depression, memory loss, and sleep problems are all related to his service in the Gulf War.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection have been remanded due to procedural errors and the need for additional development.

The Board denied the reopening of claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder (to include depression and paranoid schizophrenia) and gastroenteritis, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The veteran's bipolar disorder with depression is rated at 30 percent, and his ulnar neuritis, residuals of left elbow injury, is rated at 10 percent. The TDIU claim remains pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service connection claim for a psychiatric disorder, including depression and PTSD, should be remanded to allow for additional development of his claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, severe depression, blackout spells, dizziness, headaches, and blurred vision. The right knee disability claim was also denied.

The veteran's appeal is about the current disability rating for his depressive disorder. The case has been remanded to re-schedule a personal hearing at the RO before a Veterans Law Judge.

The veteran's claims for increased rating of his right knee disability and a total rating based on individual unemployability were denied. The claim for service connection for PTSD and depression secondary to the right knee disability was also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer, as well as his claim for major depressive disorder secondary to service-connected irritable bowel syndrome with psychophysiologic intestinal reaction. The veteran was granted service connection for major depressive disorder but not for Barrett's esophagus or esophageal cancer.,The Board also denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for irritable bowel syndrome and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to new procedural requirements under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000, and for additional development related to service connection for a psychiatric disorder secondary to the veteran's service-connected back disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for gastrointestinal disorder, chronic fatigue, back and joint pain, psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (depression, anxiety), and PTSD. The reasons were that there was no medical evidence of a causal link between the veteran's symptoms and his active duty service or an undiagnosed illness.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to August 23, 1996. His TDIU was granted effective from that date.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and depression, with a 10 percent evaluation assigned.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities had increased to warrant a TDIU as of October 29, 1996. The effective date for the grant of entitlement to TDIU is set at this date.

The Board dismissed the matter as it does not have jurisdiction to decide eligibility for direct payment of a withheld contingency fee under 38 U.S.C.A. § 5904(d).

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 18, 1999 for his nonservice-connected disability pension benefits. The evidence showed that entitlement to these benefits arose on or after March 18, 1999.