Depression Board decisions

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, and the claim for a higher rating is denied. The Veteran also has been granted TDIU due to service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD was denied, and his TDIU claim was also denied due to the presence of other service-connected disabilities that preclude him from obtaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's 70 percent evaluation for his psychiatric disability (PTSD with MDD) was restored due to procedural errors in the reduction from 50 percent. The current rating of 70 percent is maintained.

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD symptoms did not result in total occupational and social impairment, so a rating higher than 70 percent is denied.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for depressive disorder due to a duty-to-assist error regarding the review of private psychologist's opinion. The Veteran is asked to submit or request that VA obtain relevant treatment records reviewed by the private psychologist.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for depressive disorder, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected left testicle orchiectomy.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, as he has completed at least four years of college and worked as a college professor for over 30 years. The Board finds that the combined effect of his service-connected conditions does not preclude him from participating in a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board dismissed the claims of service connection for various conditions due to a lack of an initial substitution eligibility determination by the AOJ.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for migraines with nausea was denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating greater than 70 percent for PTSD, major depressive disorder and SUD (alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines) was denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating greater than 20 percent for metatarsalgia and plantar fasciitis of the left foot was denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of major depressive disorder with anxious distress was granted, effective October 19, 2022.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and hemorrhoids have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as major depression and anxiety disorder, was found to be causally linked to his service-connected traumatic brain injury. His tinnitus was also granted based on credible reports of in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's loss of use of a creative organ and acquired psychiatric disability, including insomnia, depression, and anxiety, are granted as service-connected. However, the rating for his acquired psychiatric disability remains at 30 percent.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety, and other specified trauma disorder, is found to be secondary to his service-connected allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. The Board granted the claim based on a private opinion from PsyD. K.B.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and unspecified anxiety disorder, due to military sexual trauma (MST) that occurred during active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disability, acquired psychiatric disability (unspecified depressive disorder and insomnia), and sleep apnea due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The issues will be reconsidered with additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's earlier effective date for a 70 percent rating for depressive disorder is denied as the evidence does not show that his disability picture was consistent with occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks prior to June 15, 2020.

The Board denied service connection for depression, including as secondary to the service-connected sleep apnea. The evidence did not show a nexus between current depressive disorder and service or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea and major depressive disorder, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether his service-connected conditions meet the criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran withdrew all pending appeals, including those for higher ratings and service connection.