Anxiety decisions — 2006

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and Social Security Administration records, evaluating the veteran's psychiatric condition, and clarifying his representation.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, central retinal vein occlusion with macular edema and hypertensive retinopathy of the right eye as secondary to hypertension, and the degree of aggravation of an anxiety disorder attributable to a service-connected left knee disability.

The Board found no credible supporting evidence for the veteran's claimed in-service stressors, particularly regarding unloading caskets and seeing bodies from the Jonestown Massacre. As a result, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed psychiatric disabilities, including generalized anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The preponderance of evidence is against the claim.

The Board has determined that the grant of service connection for generalized anxiety disorder was clearly and unmistakably erroneous, and thus denied restoration of this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating during any of the periods under consideration.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of individual unemployability was granted, with the effective date set at June 11, 1998, based on her informal claim to reopen her previously denied service connection claim for a psychiatric disability.

The veteran's cause of death is being reviewed, and the Board has decided that additional medical records are needed to determine if his service-connected anxiety disorder contributed to his alcoholism and cardiovascular-renal disease.

The Board denied a higher disability rating for the veteran's depression and anxiety, associated with residuals of prostate cancer, finding that his symptoms are consistent with a moderate level of impairment.

The veteran's anxiety disorder and PTSD are found to be secondary to his service-connected eczematous dermatitis. The veteran does not have a diagnosed chronic intestinal disorder or Hashimoto's thyroiditis, but the evidence supports that his tinea pedis is related to his service-connected condition.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for VCAA notification and additional development of evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is related to his service, specifically the multiple attacks on his convoy and base in Vietnam. The evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD based on verified stressors.

The Board found that the veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is not severe enough to warrant a rating higher than 50 percent, and denied his claim for TDIU due to lack of evidence showing he was unable to work due to his service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's generalized anxiety disorder does not meet or approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his symptoms do not warrant a higher evaluation based on occupational and social impairment.

The veteran claims service connection for a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. The RO needs to obtain all relevant medical records from the Fort Sam Houston medical facility in San Antonio, Texas (from 1962), as well as from other health care facilities where the veteran received treatment for his psychiatric disorders. A psychiatric examination should be scheduled to determine if there is a link between the veteran's military service and his current psychiatric conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's generalized anxiety disorder does not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent, as his symptoms do not result in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, specifically anxiety disorder with depressive features, finding that there is no medical evidence linking this condition to his active military service.

The veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for generalized anxiety disorder was denied as the condition is not service-connected and his current impairment is due to alcohol abuse, which predates service.

The Board has granted service connection for obsessive-compulsive disorder with generalized anxiety and insomnia, finding that the veteran's symptoms were present during active duty. Service connection was also granted for tension headaches, though a current disability is not established.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for VCAA notification and additional development of evidence.