Anxiety decisions — 2009

The Board found no evidence to support a service connection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, concluding that the disorder did not pre-exist service or was not aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to comply with the Court's June 2004 decision, which found that VA had failed to provide proper notice. Additional development is needed for compliance with VA's duty to assist and notify.

The Board found no evidence of an acquired psychiatric disability during service or that it is causally linked to service. The Veteran's current diagnoses are attributed to post-service events.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disorder, to include depression, generalized anxiety disorder and agoraphobia, that is related to his military service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder has been rated at 50 percent since October 27, 2008.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The appeal is pending in some cases, while others are denied outright.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of left upper extremity frostbite, right upper extremity frostbite, left lower extremity frostbite, and right lower extremity frostbite. The Veteran also had a claim for headaches and anxiety neurosis (claimed as an anxiety disorder), but these were not granted either.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing service treatment records and incomplete employment records. A VA psychiatric examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric condition may be related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for dysthymic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and sinus problems due to the lack of a current diagnosis or established link between these conditions and active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an anxiety disorder in January 2000, finding it not well grounded. The case was remanded and returned to the Board after further development. In September 2007, the Board granted service connection for an anxiety disorder effective from September 30, 2002.

The Veteran's currently diagnosed psychoneurosis is manifested primarily by difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, exaggerated startle response, hypervigilance, and avoidance of stimuli that recall World War II. The Board found that the disability does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his claimed conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is causally related to his active duty service and grants this claim.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of anxiety reaction was denied, and the Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen a claim for service connection for a sleep disorder.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and depression, as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis. The claim to reopen the service connection for anxiety disorder (claimed as associated with Agent Orange exposure) was not addressed in this decision.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development and readjudication of the Veteran's claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's anxiety disorder, as manifested by mild symptoms, did not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were denied as there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service or continuity of symptomatology. The claims for PTSD, lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome and sciatic neuropathy, and cervical joint and disc disease are remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for anxiety disorder, pes planus, sexual dysfunction, migraines, hypertension, back disorder, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board granted service connection for an anxiety disorder but denied service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).