Anxiety decisions — 2016

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, is related to his military service. The VA will conduct a medical examination and provide an opinion on this issue.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as anxiety disorder NOS and other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder, which is related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's adjustment disorder with depression and anxiety is related to his in-service injury, resulting in service connection being granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as anxiety disorder NOS, is causally related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a sleep disorder secondary to anxiety disorder will be remanded for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining in-service mental health treatment records and investigating a claimed stressor involving covert operations outside of Saigon, Vietnam. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated based on the new evidence.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder and anxiety have resulted in significant occupational and social impairment, warranting a 70 percent rating since April 18, 2014.

The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorders are found to be causally related to his service-connected left testicular atrophy, specifically due to the infertility resulting from his service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic fatigue, skin disorder, psychiatric disorder, and sleep disorder have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of a chronic disability characterized by chronic fatigue or any other qualifying chronic disability related to undiagnosed illness. The Veteran's skin disorder was not shown to be due to exposure in the Persian Gulf War.,The Veteran has multiple diagnoses for her skin condition, including eczema and tinea infections. However, these conditions are not considered manifestations of a Gulf War-related undiagnosed illness.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA psychiatric examination to determine the current nature and likely etiology of any diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder(s). The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated based on the updated evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, did not have its onset during service or due to a service-connected condition. The Board also determined that there was no credible evidence of an in-service stressor related to military sexual trauma (MST). As such, the claim for service connection for these conditions is denied.

The VA Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the Veteran's low back disorder, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease (DDD), was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not presumed to have been due to his military service. The Board found no medical evidence linking the current DDD to service.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder has been granted an initial rating of 50 percent, effective February 19, 2013. His neuropathy of the left lower extremity and left upper extremity have also been granted increased ratings. The Veteran is now entitled to a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings are being remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records and to schedule him for new VA examinations to address the current nature and severity of his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and his service-connected thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and anxiety disorder is granted, as her diagnoses are based on a personal assault during active service. Her claim for left breast cancer is remanded due to the need for further development regarding exposure to environmental toxins at Fort McClellan.

The Veteran has withdrawn their appeal for the issues of entitlement to higher initial ratings for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, and status post-operative right inguinal hernia repair with nerve entrapment syndrome involving fibers of the right anterior femoral cutaneous nerve.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to military sexual trauma (MST) is being remanded as the Board finds that additional development, including a VA examination and notification under 38 C.F.R. § 3.304(f)(5), is needed.

The Board found that the Veteran did not file a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) in response to the June 2006 denial of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. As such, the appeal was dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and stomach ulcers are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically anxiety reaction with PTSD and somatizing personality manifestations, more nearly approximated considerable impairment in the ability to establish or maintain effective relationships and considerable industrial impairment from October 2, 1996. From October 1, 1998, it more nearly approximated severe impairment in the ability to establish or maintain effective relationships and severe impairment in the ability to obtain or retain employment.

The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder with anxiety disorder has been rated at 50 percent since the grant of service connection, reflecting occupational and social impairment due to reduced reliability and productivity.