Anxiety decisions — 2007

The veteran's claims for service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae, anxiety and depression, hepatitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are all denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions, they are not related to service, or the evidence does not support a finding that they were incurred in service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional evidentiary development and readjudication, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the veteran's psychiatric conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral senile cataracts, hypertension, and an anxiety disorder. The evidence does not establish a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's generalized anxiety disorder warrants a 50 percent disability rating, effective from the date of claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension, which was initially diagnosed and treated during service, is service-connected. The acquired psychiatric disorder involving anxiety and depression also originated in service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to the veteran's failure to respond to requests for stressor details and other necessary actions. The claim is being reopened, but further examination and evidence are needed to determine if service connection can be established.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for anxiety disorder, panic attacks and agoraphobia to include PTSD because there was no credible supporting evidence of in-service stressors. The veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy and provided insufficient information regarding specific stressful events that occurred during his service.

The Board has determined that a 70 percent evaluation is warranted for the veteran's anxiety disorder, effective as of the date of this decision.

The Board has determined that the veteran's generalized anxiety disorder, now primarily diagnosed as psychoneurosis, was incurred in service and granted service connection for this condition.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at North Collier Hospital on April 16, 2005 are denied as the treatment was for a non-emergent condition and no VA facility was feasibly available.

The Board has dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection of a sleep disorder, anxiety disorder, and right eye disorder as he withdrew his appeal prior to decision.

The veteran's initial claim for service connection for arthritis was withdrawn. The Board granted an increased evaluation of 50 percent for his anxiety disorder with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and depressive disorder, effective June 13, 2005.

The Board has restored the veteran's disability rating for anxiety disorder to 50 percent, effective from when it was last granted. The appeal for an increased rating is not supported.

The Board found that the veteran's psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD and bipolar II disorder, were not related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his service connection award, finding that no legal basis existed to grant such a request.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a diagnosed psychiatric disability, including PTSD, and therefore cannot establish service connection for any such condition.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed additional disability was not caused by VA medical treatment, including the prescribed medications (Halcion and Xanax). The evidence did not support a finding of causation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, is at least partly aggravated by his service-connected acne vulgaris. The claim for service connection is therefore granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including seeking corroboration of a stressor event in Honduras and scheduling an examination to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed psychiatric disorders.