Anxiety decisions — 2014

The Board has reopened the service connection claim for PTSD and denied it on the merits. The Veteran's anxiety disorder, NOS, is found to be related to his military service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including anxiety and dysthymic disorders. The Veteran is granted service connection for these conditions as they are likely related to his military service. However, there is no current evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus, so the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus remain denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran's variously diagnosed psychiatric disabilities, including ADD, bipolar disorder, depression, social phobia, and social anxiety disorder, are not shown to be related to his service. The Board concludes that service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, are related to his active military service and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board found no competent and credible evidence indicating the Veteran currently suffers from a psychiatric disability, including PTSD. Therefore, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was denied.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety and depression, is found to be related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's appeal regarding the issue of an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn. The Board is dismissing this claim as a result.

Your claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability has been granted, and you are now receiving a 30% rating for PTSD. The appeal is dismissed as moot because your claim has already been resolved.

The Board has remanded the case for a hearing before RO personnel at the Manchester VA Regional Office and further development of the claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, attempting to obtain outstanding pre-service and post-service psychiatric treatment records, scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination, and determining the nature, extent, onset, and etiology of any diagnosed psychiatric disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorders, including depressive disorder and anxiety disorder, are not related to his service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or incident causing these conditions.

The Veteran's alcohol dependence is at least as likely as not due to his service-connected major depressive disorder, and therefore service connection for alcohol dependence on a secondary basis is granted.

The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is currently rated at 70 percent disabling from April 17, 2013. The rating agency found that the symptoms have significantly worsened since the initial grant of service connection.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorder was rated at 50 percent from June 18, 2005, to April 23, 2012.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to obtain an etiological opinion regarding the Veteran's depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and schizoid personality traits. The issue of service connection remains on appeal.

The Veteran's depressive disorder with features of anxiety is reasonably shown to have been caused by his service-connected disabilities, to include coronary artery disease. Service connection for depressive disorder with features of anxiety is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been withdrawn.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination and consideration of the TDIU claim.

The Board denied service connection for an innocently acquired psychiatric disorder and diverticulitis. The Veteran's appeal is remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the nature of his psychiatric disorders and whether they are related to service, as well as to determine if his current diverticulitis is related to his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, mood disorder, dysthymic disorder and anxiety, had its onset in service. The Board grants service connection for this condition.