Depression Board decisions

The Board remands the case for an updated examination to reassess the Veteran's service-connected depression.

The Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected persistent depressive disorder. The appeal for an increased rating of the service-connected persistent depressive disorder prior to February 1, 2013, is dismissed. The issue of a total disability rating based on unemployability (TDIU) remains pending and will be remanded.

The Veteran's claim for SMC at the (R)(1) level was denied as he failed to appear for a scheduled VA examination without good cause.

The Veteran's skin disability is related to service and granted. The claims for depression, anxiety, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, hemorrhoids, diverticular disability, erectile dysfunction, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, gall bladder disability, and hernia are denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss claims are denied as there is no persuasive evidence linking these conditions to service.,The Veteran's severe depression, type II diabetes mellitus, left hand tingling, left leg numbness and tingling, and right leg numbness and tingling claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for PTSD, migraine headaches, and TDIU was denied. The rating for PTSD remains at 70 percent, the highest available under current criteria. The rating for migraine headaches is also denied as they do not meet the criteria for a 50% rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence and errors in decision-making, specifically regarding the assessment of the Veteran's major depressive disorder and dementia. The Veteran is currently seeking an increased rating for his service-connected major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's appeals for TDIU and a higher evaluation for their mental disorder have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The appeal will be dismissed, but individuals who may be eligible for substitution can request it within one year of the Veteran's death.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error in the previous VA medical opinion, which did not address whether the Veteran's sleep apnea was aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. The claim is now being sent back for an addendum opinion.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including adjustment disorder, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, insomnia, and personality disorder. The most probative evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board denied an effective date prior to May 13, 2021 for the award of a 100 percent rating for PTSD and depressive disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sarcoidosis of the lungs, eye disabilities, and depression with anxious features due to incomplete development and duty-to-assist errors. The issues are inextricably intertwined.

The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD, to schedule an additional VA examination.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of July 14, 2005 for service connection for mild recurrent major depressive disorder and persistent insomnia disorder. The decision is based on a statement from the Veteran in July 2005 indicating he was entitled to service connection for depression as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to obtain a more adequate medical opinion.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for depression and insomnia secondary to depression due to a need for additional evidence and an adequate VA examination.

The Board granted readjudication of the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and remanded claims related to alcohol abuse secondary to a psychiatric condition due to insufficient evidence in previous decisions.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error by verifying in-service stressors and obtaining a new medical opinion.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea, now claimed as depression.,His claim for a compensable rating evaluation of erectile dysfunction was denied. The Board remanded the issue of service connection for hypertension.

The Board granted a separate 10 percent rating for vertigo associated with the service-connected TBI, but denied an increased disability rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD and MDD and TBI.