Depression Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD with depressive disorder, finding that the Veteran's current disability is related to an in-service stressor and resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted an effective date of February 9, 2005 for the grant of service connection for PTSD with depression and panic attacks. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU remains pending as it is inextricably intertwined with the earlier effective date determination.

The Veteran's appeal for a continued 70 percent rating for PTSD, previously rated as MDD, is dismissed because the RO changed the diagnosis to PTSD and continued the 70 percent rating.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings in excess of 10 percent for various conditions have been dismissed.,The appeal for service connection for a right hip condition has also been dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, particularly his PTSD. The VA examiner needs to consider the Veteran's stressor events and provide a more comprehensive opinion on the relationship between his current psychiatric conditions and service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection on multiple conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and consideration of relevant evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression) because there is no credible, competent evidence of a DSM-5 mental disorder diagnosis prior to the closure of the evidentiary record for this appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete evidence and failure to consider certain theories of entitlement. The Veteran's claims are related to his military service, but specific details about stressors and medical records remain unclear.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, unspecified joint pain, fatigue (other than a psychiatric disability), and sleep disturbance condition (other than a psychiatric disability) are granted. The appeal is remanded for further development on the issue of service connection for unspecified joint pain.

The Veteran's PTSD and major depressive disorder have been granted an initial rating of 50 percent from October 26, 2005 to December 2, 2017. The TDIU claim was also granted during this period.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, specifically depressive disorder due to chronic pain syndrome with depressive features, finding that there is no current diagnosis of such a condition and rejecting the evidence presented.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and its relationship to service-connected erectile dysfunction.

Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include anxiety and depression is granted. Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and a right knee disability are remanded.

The appeal regarding diabetes mellitus (DM) is dismissed. The appeals for PTSD, unspecified depressive disorder, and hypertension are remanded.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, but a separate 20 percent rating for voiding dysfunction is granted. The Veteran's MDD is not rated higher than 30 percent. Service connection for a cervical spine disorder is granted.

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD is rated at 70 percent, and the Board found that it does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating of 100 percent due to lack of total occupational and social impairment.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and Depression, finding no evidence of a link between the conditions and service. The Veteran's statements about his experiences were not credible.

The Board denied service connection for schizoaffective disorder, anxiety disorder, depression, and bipolar disorder as the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. The Veteran's service connection claim is for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's increased rating for somatic symptom disorder, right hip strain, left hip strain, and status post L5-S1 discectomy (back disability) is granted. The ratings for radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve in both lower extremities are remanded.