Anxiety decisions — 2007

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not necessitate the care or assistance of another person on a regular basis to attend to his activities of daily living and to protect him from the hazard or dangers of his daily environment, thus denying entitlement to SMC.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for psychiatric disorders, alcoholism, borderline personality disorder, left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right hip iliopsoas tendonitis, and lumbosacral strain. The veteran will be notified if further action is required on her part.

The Board found that the veteran's bipolar disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied her claim for service connection. The anxiety disorder diagnosis is from June 2001, five years after service discharge, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology to support a finding of service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified, is service-connected due to his military experiences.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active service and denied all claims for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to address the veteran's claimed psychiatric and dental/temporomandibular joint disabilities.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is related to his exposure to acoustic trauma in service. The claims for PTSD and hypertension remain denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, including anxiety disorder, left wrist fracture residuals, and left femur disability. The appeal is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records from the Manhattan VAMC and arranging for a VA physician to review the claims file and provide opinions on whether the veteran's service-connected conditions contributed to his death.

The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for generalized anxiety disorder, finding that the veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for issuance of a supplemental statement of the case.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD, along with other psychiatric conditions, results in occupational and social impairment warranting a 30 percent disability rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a left shoulder disorder, and pancreatitis. The anxiety disorder is found to be related to active service, but the left shoulder disorder and pancreatitis are not found to be related to service.

The Board denied service connection for an anxiety disorder, including panic disorder with agoraphobia and panic attacks, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety and bipolar disorder.

The veteran's generalized anxiety disorder was found to be related to his service in Vietnam, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The other issues on appeal are not addressed as the veteran withdrew his claims for compensable evaluations for fractures of the pelvis and left clavicle.

The Board found that the veteran's depression, anxiety, and nerves did not begin during service and are not linked to his military service. Therefore, he was denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination. The veteran's claim of entitlement to an increased rating for his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder is pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus, diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease, chronic pneumonia, depression and anxiety, Crohn's disease, and osteoporosis are not service-connected. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Board found no evidence of a generalized anxiety disorder during service or for many years after, and concluded that the current condition is not related to military service.

The veteran's service-connected residuals of malaria are rated at 10 percent, and his generalized anxiety disorder is currently rated at 30 percent. The TDIU claim was denied as the evidence does not show that he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.