Anxiety decisions — 2012

The Board is remanding the case for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including a comprehensive VA psychiatric examination to determine all diagnosed conditions and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including consideration of new evidence submitted by the appellant. The RO will issue a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) that takes into account this additional evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD and anxiety, was dismissed because no substantive appeal was filed.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claims for hepatitis, residuals of oral surgery, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are pending.

The Veteran's hypertension is rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum rating available under VA regulations. The Board finds that his blood pressure readings do not support a higher disability rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, including anxiety and PTSD, was incurred in military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric condition was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor was it the result of, or aggravated by, a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to obtain VA treatment records and schedule the Veteran for a VA psychiatric examination. The goal is to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, are related to his service.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder NOS has been rated at 10 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Veteran's diagnosed major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder are found to be related to his active service, meeting the criteria for direct service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety and PTSD, is currently rated at 30 percent. The evidence does not support a higher rating as it does not demonstrate the required symptoms for a higher disability evaluation.

The Board found that the Veteran's anxiety disorder is not related to his military service and did not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, when considered as one disability due to common etiology from in-service noise exposure, meet the minimum percent evaluation requirement for a TDIU since December 11, 2008. He is deemed unemployable by reason of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted as his disability picture does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified, with cognitive deficits, was initially denied a rating higher than 30 percent prior to November 8, 2010. However, from that date forward, the Veteran is granted a rating of 50 percent.

The Board found that the evidence added to the record since the final rating decisions does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims for hearing loss, diabetes mellitus as a result of exposure to herbicides, rosacea and actinic keratosis (claimed as a skin disorder) as a result of exposure to herbicides, hypertension, or anxiety, panic attacks, and depression.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete service treatment records and the need for additional VA examinations. The claims will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD was manifested by severe symptomatology such as hallucinations and delusions, severe sleep disturbances, and occasional suicidal ideation, consistent with a finding of total occupational and social impairment. A 100 percent rating is warranted from October 6, 2005.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims can be fully adjudicated.