Anxiety decisions — 2016

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of his acquired psychiatric condition, including Major Depressive Disorder with symptoms of PTSD and anxiety, finding that it is etiologically related to his active service.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder. As a result, the Board has dismissed this issue.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder with psychotic features and anxiety disorder NOS. The Veteran's current psychiatric conditions are found to be related to her active military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure to obtain service treatment records from Mannheim Army Hospital in Germany. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is now before the Board.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to a personal assault in service and grants service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and/or schizoaffective disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his VA treatment records and private treatment records.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his current level of impairment.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety and depression, is found to be service-connected. Sciatica of the bilateral lower extremities has not been established as a separate condition.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since February 2011. The Board found that the symptoms of PTSD have caused occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% rating but denied as there was no evidence of total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service personnel records and VA treatment records. A psychiatric examination is also required to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed psychiatric disorders.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a separately manifested acquired psychiatric disorder from his PTSD, and thus service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verification of a stressor and scheduling of a VA examination if the stressor is confirmed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, depression, and agoraphobia, is being remanded due to the failure of the Veteran to report for a VA examination scheduled in November 2014. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability, including PTSD, dysthymic disorder, mood disorder NOS, and adjustment disorder with anxiety, has been rated at 10 percent prior to September 9, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current anxiety disorder is service-connected, as his in-service experiences and memories contribute to his condition. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.

The Veteran's PTSD and depressive disorder have been granted increased ratings, with the highest rating of 70 percent effective August 10, 2015. Headaches are rated at 30 percent since September 1, 2013.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's diagnosed psychiatric disorders are related to his fear of hostile military activity during service, and to obtain a current evaluation of his thoracolumbar strain.

The Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder is found to be related to his military service, and the claim for PTSD is denied as there was no diagnosis of PTSD in accordance with DSM-V criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability, sciatic nerve disability, and an acquired psychiatric disability (depression and/or anxiety) as secondary to his low back disability. The decision found that there was no nexus between the current disabilities and service.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 50% from December 12, 2012 and increased to 70% effective March 4, 2015. The Veteran also received a TDIU rating as of May 3, 2013.