Anxiety decisions — 2012

The Board found that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders are not related to his service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's diagnosed mood disorders and major depressive disorder are not etiologically related to service, and his claimed PTSD stressor has not been verified. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has again remanded the claim due to an inadequate VA examination, requiring a new evaluation that considers the Veteran's lay statements of continuous symptoms since service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination to determine if any diagnosed psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for a supplemental medical opinion to clarify whether the Veteran currently fulfills the diagnostic criteria for any acquired psychiatric disability, and if so, whether it is at least as likely as not related to service. The examiner should also address the relationship between the in-service head injury and any post-service diagnosis of a psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder results in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, warranting a 10 percent evaluation.

The Veteran died of cardiac arrest due to gastrointestinal bleeding. The Board found that his service-connected conditions (major depression, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus) did not cause or contribute substantially or materially to the cause of death.

The Veteran's claim for increased disability rating and service connection for anxiety and depression secondary to his service-connected epilepsy has been denied due to the lack of competent, credible, and probative evidence showing a current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination to determine the presence of PTSD, and determining whether any diagnosed psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depressive disorder, and anxiety/panic disorder with agoraphobia, which is related to his reported in-service stressors of military sexual trauma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current anxiety disorder is causally related to his active duty service, specifically his experience of fear during a military flight in Uzbekistan. As such, the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted.

The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety and PTSD. The Board has ordered additional development to obtain medical records and a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran was diagnosed with anxiety and dysthymia but did not meet the criteria for PTSD as per DSM-IV.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and review of all submitted evidence.

The Board has granted reopening of the Veteran's previously denied claim for service connection for a character disorder with an anxiety reaction and also granted service connection for a schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. This award represents a complete grant of the benefit sought on appeal.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was denied, and his claims of entitlement to a TDIU were also denied. The right hip disability claim has been previously denied.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's inguinal hernia, bilateral, postoperative with scar and assigned a 10 percent disability rating effective from October 20, 2006. The decision also addressed other issues of service connection but did not reach a final determination on them.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran not appearing at a previously scheduled Travel Board hearing. The case is now pending for another hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have separate diagnoses of anxiety and depressive disorders, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.,A new VA examination may be warranted to assess the current severity of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran requires aid and attendance or is housebound due to his disabilities.