Depression Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings, finding no evidence of worsening conditions or entitlement to a higher rating within the one-year look-back period.

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion from a clinician to address whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders are related to military service, caused by his service-connected disabilities, or aggravated by them. The claim is still pending and will be reconsidered after the additional evidence is considered.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including failing to obtain medical opinions and examinations prior to issuing the December 2023 rating decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in the previous examinations, and additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disabilities are related to his active service.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD and major depressive disorder as the Veteran's symptoms did not more nearly approximate occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas or total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the assignment of a 50 percent disability rating for depressive disorder is denied. The Board found that no increase in the disability was shown within one year prior to the claim.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, as the evidence did not support a link to the Veteran's active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding no competent evidence that his current condition was incurred in or is otherwise related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating of PTSD with major depression has been dismissed as he withdrew his request to continue the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was denied. The claim for a higher rating for left thumb disability and the TDIU claim were also denied.

The Board has determined that the July 2019 and June 2020 VA medical opinions are inadequate for adjudicatory purposes due to a lack of discussion on secondary service connection. The Veteran's sleep apnea is remanded for an additional opinion addressing whether it was caused by or aggravated by her service-connected major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is now rated at 70 percent, but no higher. The issue of entitlement to TDIU remains pending.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder with anxiety and agoraphobia is rated at 100 percent effective from January 7, 2021. DEA benefits are also awarded based on permanent total disability status.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development and medical opinions regarding his mental state at the time of misconduct, as well as obtaining relevant treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected unspecified depressive disorder was denied. The Board found that the severity, frequency, and duration of his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a disability rating higher than 70 percent. For the period prior to May 31, 2019, the Veteran's TDIU claim was granted due to service-connected disabilities precluding him from securing and following substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational experience.

The Board has granted service connection for Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus, and Persistent depressive disorder. Effective dates prior to May 30, 2018, are denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a mental health disability other than PTSD, finding that there was no evidence to support the claim and that the current diagnosis of depressive disorder did not begin during active service.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of March 17, 2014, for service connection for schizoaffective disorder with depressive disorder.

The Board has remanded both claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and erectile dysfunction due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including failing to verify the Veteran's claimed stressor, obtain SSA records, and provide adequate opinions regarding the etiology of his conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and attributed his psychiatric symptoms to persistent depressive disorder, which is already service-connected. For persistent depressive disorder, the Veteran received a rating of 50% based on occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.