Depression Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is granted as secondary to his service-connected back disability featuring degenerative arthritis and disc disease.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to errors in pre-decisional duty to assist and insufficient medical opinions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, OSA, and hernia disability.

The appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The claims for service connection have not been decided.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions had their onset in service or are otherwise related to service.

The Board has determined that the AOJ's decision denying service connection for OSA, claimed as secondary to service-connected psychiatric disorder and DDD of the lumbar spine, is flawed due to a failure to consider whether obesity was an intermediate step in the development of OSA. The case is being remanded to obtain an addendum medical opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating for his service-connected psychiatric disorder.,The Veteran's claim was based on his depressive disorder and anxiety, which were granted with a 50% evaluation as of December 5, 2013.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because his Notice of Disagreement did not identify any specific rating action for appeal.

The Veteran's herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 was granted a 30% rating. Service connection for hypertension, major depressive disorder, right shoulder disorder (painful limitation of motion), and hearing loss in the right ear were all denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, major depressive disorder, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, a foot disorder, and a hand/finger disorder due to lack of new and relevant evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to duty-to-assist errors, including failure to properly develop records regarding the Veteran's service personnel and stressor claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were addressed in a September 2020 rating decision, which granted the requested effective dates.,The Veteran was granted service connection for an adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression associated with GERD with H. Pylori status post laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with residual bloating, flatulence, and inability to vomit, to include IBS.

The appeal for a higher rating and an earlier effective date for PTSD with depression is denied.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for service-connected unspecified depressive disorder with posttraumatic stress disorder, and his claim for TDIU was also denied.

The Board has granted readjudication of the claim for service connection for depressive disorder and anxiety disorder, with a remand to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's service-connected Major Depressive Disorder alone does not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, as he has been working through temporary services and at a cell phone repair company.

The Veteran's service connection claims for chronic renal disease, cirrhosis of the liver with portal hypertension and hepatitis C, depression, flat feet, allergic rhinitis, and hypertension have been granted. The effective date is March 25, 2020, for all claims except for chronic renal disease, which has an effective date of March 25, 2020. A 60 percent rating is assigned for left lower extremity radiculopathy from January 30, 2020.

The Board has remanded the claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities because of a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran's depression and lumbar spine disorder limit his ability to work, but further medical opinion is needed to determine if these conditions alone or in combination preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's depressive disorder with major depressive-like episodes was found to not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 70 percent, as his symptoms did not more closely approximate total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted effective August 29, 2014, based on his service-connected major depressive disorder and OCD. The effective date is the earliest date as of which it is factually ascertainable that an increase in disability had occurred.