Anxiety decisions — 2009

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including verification of his claimed combat-related stressors and obtaining VA and private medical records. A VA examination will be scheduled to determine the nature and etiology of any identified acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has ordered a remand for an additional VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorders are related to service, including whether they were caused by a reported traumatic event of being beaten during service.

The Board has granted service connection for an anxiety disorder, NOS, due to in-service stressors. The Veteran's PTSD symptoms are considered initially caused by in-service events.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary for the Veteran's claims of service connection for anxiety, a prostate condition, impotence, and residuals of a chest stabbing due to conflicting evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to verify the Veteran's claimed stressors and determine if service connection can be established.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development and consideration of whether the Veteran's diagnoses of Alzheimer's dementia or major depression with anxiety are service related.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to April 6, 1999 for service connection for PTSD was denied as the RO had previously denied such a claim in November 1999 and December 2000.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to May 22, 2003 for a 100 percent evaluation for his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder was also denied. The effective date of the increased rating was assigned on May 22, 2003.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining his personnel file and providing him with notice of the information and evidence required to substantiate a claim for service connection on a secondary basis.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records of the Veteran's hospitalization in 1968 and scheduling an examination to determine if his depression and anxiety are related to service.

The Board denied service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, concluding that the Veteran's current symptoms did not meet the criteria for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling appropriate examinations. The issues include seeking increased evaluations for psychiatric disability, a right foot vascular problem, and degenerative changes of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claim of service connection for his current psychiatric disorder, and denied both his initial compensable rating claim for residuals of a left hernia repair and his extraschedular rating claim. The Veteran's residuals of a left hernia are currently rated as noncompensable.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder and depressive disorder are rated at 50 percent, warranting a higher rating than the current 30 percent. Service connection for diabetes mellitus is not established.

The Veteran's major depression and anxiety disorder were granted a 70 percent evaluation effective October 20, 2004.

The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of anxiety or depressive disorder other than PTSD. Therefore, the claim for service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran currently has an anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified (NOS), which is more likely than not related to his military service. The claim for PTSD was previously denied and is no longer at issue.

The Board found that the Veteran's disabilities resulting from a May 6, 2007 motor vehicle accident were due to his own willful misconduct and denied all claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating than 30 percent, and his diabetes mellitus does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating than 20 percent.