Depression Board decisions

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the lack of VA treatment records. The PTSD with major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder issue remains under review.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder and unspecified depressive disorder, are found to be related to service. The Board granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea and other conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and secondary service connection for acquired psychiatric disorders including a persistent depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has granted an effective date of September 2, 2010 for the award of a 70 percent rating for depression and assigned special monthly compensation (SMC) as of that date.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 70 percent for depressive disorder as there is no case or controversy within the Board's jurisdiction regarding this issue.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his acquired psychiatric disabilities, finding no competent evidence linking these conditions to service. The Board considered post-service treatment records and found that the current mental health issues began many years after service.

The Board has denied the claims for service connection for left shoulder degenerative arthritis, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, left foot degenerative arthritis, and right foot degenerative arthritis. The Board found that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Appellant's military service.

The claims of service connection for left hip fracture, left femur shaft fracture, left tibial plateau fracture, and left elbow fracture are dismissed as the Veteran did not properly initiate an appeal.,The claim of service connection for brain disease due to trauma (postconcussion syndrome with tinnitus, headaches, and history of ear injury) is dismissed because it was related to willful misconduct.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left above the knee amputation and major depressive disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, effective July 18, 2013. The rating for TDIU from July 18, 2013, to August 13, 2014, remains granted.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is rated at a 70 percent disability level, which grants the requested increased rating.

The Veteran's PTSD with anxiety and depressive disorder and TBI is currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board denied a higher rating as his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a 70 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder with major depressive disorder is found to be the cause of his obstructive sleep apnea, and he has been granted service connection for OSA. However, he was denied a TDIU as his service-connected disability does not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, headaches/migraines, dizziness, and individual unemployability (TDIU) due to inadequate medical opinions in the April 2020 rating decision. The case is being returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression was granted due to the finding of a well-grounded claim, as evidence showed continuity of symptoms and a nexus between in-service and current conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for major depressive disorder as secondary to residuals of prostate cancer with urinary incontinence. However, the TDIU claim was denied due to insufficient evidence showing the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating greater than 70 percent for his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder prior to March 15, 2021 is denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection remains September 18, 2012.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, depression, Parkinson's with dementia, lower back disability, right knee and left knee disabilities, right hip and left hip disabilities, and right foot and left foot disabilities. The evidence does not support a finding of current diagnoses or a link to active service.

The Veteran's persistent depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, which is the maximum rating available. Service connection has been granted for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as well as obstructive sleep apnea secondary to service-connected chronic sinusitis.