Anxiety decisions — 2005

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to ensure compliance with the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 and other relevant regulations.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and consideration of his claims due to the need for updated medical evaluations.

The veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability (major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder) renders him unable to work, meeting the criteria for a total rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board found that the appellant's claimed conditions are not service-connected due to lack of evidence of exposure to mustard gas and other chemical/biological agents during service.

The veteran is service-connected for dysthymia with anxiety, asthmatic bronchitis, and a right wrist disorder. He was found unable to obtain and/or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected conditions. The effective date for the TDIU rating has been established as August 24, 1998.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and a stomach condition, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his active duty.

The veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings were denied. His adjustment disorder, with mixed anxiety and depression, was not found to be related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at the highest possible rating of 100 percent, and his postoperative prostate cancer residuals are rated at 40 percent. The shell fragment wound residuals of the left thigh remain noncompensably disabling.

The Board has determined that the veteran's anxiety disorder is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and review of new evidence submitted by the appellant, including a medical opinion from a VA physician. The issues of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 will be reconsidered.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertensive vascular disease and generalized anxiety disorder, finding no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The lung disorder claim is remanded due to insufficient examination findings.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating any of the veteran's claims for service connection or compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not warrant special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance or on housebound status.

The VA determined that the veteran's anxiety disorder did not originate during service and is not related to his already service-connected gunshot wound residuals or malaria. The Board found no evidence of causation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected psychoneurosis anxiety state contributed to his hypertension, which in turn contributed to his death. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, depression, anxiety disorder, and sleep disorder. The veteran was also denied entitlement to service connection for sterility.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence submitted by the appellant and the need for additional development of records from Social Security Administration.

The veteran's anxiety neurosis with depression is rated at 70 percent, but he does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. His TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected disability alone did not render him unemployable. The right eye condition denial from October 1946 remains final.

The veteran's service-connected depression with anxiety was granted a 50 percent disability rating, effective January 11, 2002. The rating was later increased to 100 percent as of October 10, 2003.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected generalized anxiety disorder warrants a 50 percent rating, reflecting occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.