Anxiety decisions — 2007

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and awarded a 10 percent rating for the veteran's adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood, with PTSD. The decision also denied service connection for hearing loss.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and anxiety disorder have not been decided.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for anxiety and depressive disorders is being remanded due to incomplete VA medical records and the need for a more current examination.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a Board videoconference hearing at the RO in Nashville, TN. The case will be readjudicated after this.

The VA has determined that the veteran's anxiety disorder, which includes depression and social isolation, does not warrant an increased evaluation beyond the current 30 percent rating.

The veteran's appeal is denied as there is no current evidence of a sleep disorder, and the Board finds service connection for this condition not warranted.

The VA has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder, hearing loss, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, or joint pain related to his military service. The Board finds no evidence supporting these claims.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no competent medical evidence of a nexus between any claimed conditions and active service.,Service connection was not granted for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, neck disorder, toe fungus, stomach disorder, left knee disorder, eye disorders (Refractive error and Presbyopia), temporomandibular joint syndrome, or left foot disorder.

The Board has denied the veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, cervical sprain, appendectomy scar, degenerative changes of the lumbar spine (now termed), tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and anxiety reaction. The RO previously denied these petitions in April 1997 and April 2002 without reopening them.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's generalized anxiety disorder in June 2001. The RO granted a 100 percent disability rating and established an effective date of May 7, 2002, which is the earliest date as of which it is ascertainable that an increase in disability had occurred.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder is being remanded due to the need for further examination and consideration of the evidence.

The Board denied service connection for bladder cancer due to herbicide exposure and service-connected prostate cancer, as well as service connection for a psychiatric disorder (claimed as anxiety disorder and PTSD), finding that the veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board granted the veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for seborrheic dermatitis since October 22, 2005 and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for anxiety disorder. The hypertension claim was granted on a secondary basis to his service-connected anxiety disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for anxiety and bipolar disorders, finding that these conditions did not manifest during or within one year after service. The claim for reopening a final disallowed claim for service connection for a gastric disorder was also denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The veteran's claim for an increased initial rating for his service-connected depressive disorder with anxiety and irritability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records since July 2004 and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions of peptic ulcer disease, anxiety, and depression are not related to service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied. However, his claim for anxiety neurosis was reopened and granted, as were the claims for vertigo resulting in loss of balance with broken bones and arthritis.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development, including referral of the veteran's claims file to the Office of the Director, VA Compensation and Pension Service, to determine if an extraschedular evaluation is warranted for her service-connected generalized anxiety disorder.

The Board has determined that the veteran's anxiety disorder does not warrant a higher disability rating, and his claim for TDIU based on service-connected disabilities is also denied.