Anxiety decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and clarification of his claims, including the diagnosis and etiology of his psychiatric conditions, diabetes mellitus, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disability, hearing loss, and polysubstance dependence/mood disorder will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is not related to in-service noise exposure and therefore denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for his back condition and acquired psychiatric condition, including PTSD. The preponderance of the evidence did not establish a link between current symptoms and an in-service stressor or chronic disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and a skin disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for new examinations.

The Veteran's current diagnoses of depressive disorder and adjustment disorder with anxiety are found to be related to his service, warranting the grant of service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have TBI residuals related to service and therefore, denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's fusion of the C5 and C6 vertebrae did not have its onset during service or within one year after separation, and is unrelated to an injury in service. The Veteran's anxiety disorder was also denied as there was no showing of a nexus between his current condition and service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety. The issues of entitlement to increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and erectile dysfunction as secondary to a psychiatric disorder are pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric condition, claimed as depressive disorder and anxiety condition, has been reopened. However, further development is needed to determine the etiology of his psychiatric condition and whether it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected physical disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a back disability, cardiovascular disorder, rectal bleeding, erectile dysfunction, psychiatric disorder, acid reflux, and hypercholesterolemia. The decision found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a back disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and examination, including obtaining VA treatment records from March 2009 to the present. The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include anxiety disorder, is being reviewed.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorder, as well as her low back disability. The appeal will be remanded for these examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and obtaining medical records. The issues are whether he has service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) and whether he qualifies for TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an examination to determine if the Veteran's psychiatric conditions are related to his military service, including a possible event on September 11, 2001.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, and for an examination to determine the etiology of his sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for major depressive disorder and general anxiety disorder, as well as eczema, are denied. The evidence does not support the need for higher ratings under current rating criteria.

The Board finds that the Veteran is entitled to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, which encompasses unspecified psychotic disorder, OCD, and unspecified anxiety disorder. The decision also considers whether these conditions are related to his in-service hospitalization.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders are related to his service, assuming he did not have a pre-existing condition.