Anxiety decisions — 2017

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is currently rated at 70 percent, effective April 26, 2017. His thyroid condition has been rated at 30 percent since the appeal period began.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is service-connected, and he is entitled to special monthly compensation for loss of use of a creative organ due to erectile dysfunction.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder) is not service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new etiology opinion regarding her acquired psychiatric disability, to include bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder. The case will be reconsidered after the remand.

The Veteran's colon cancer is presumed to have been caused by his service in Vietnam, and he developed an acquired psychiatric disorder secondary to the colon cancer. The Board finds that these conditions are related to his military service and grants service connection for both.

The Veteran's service-connected major depression with anxiety disorder and cognitive disorder did not meet the criteria for a higher rating or TDIU during the period from July 6, 2009 to May 6, 2010.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, surgical scars, and right knee condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his military service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including verification of a claimed in-service stressor and clarification of the nature and etiology of his diagnosed psychiatric disabilities.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD and determined that the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities, including depression and anxiety disorder, were not incurred or aggravated by service. The claim for service connection was therefore denied.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to May 16, 2011, for a 10 percent rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is denied. The criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected bilateral hearing loss have not been met.

The Veteran's service-connected headaches and anxiety disorder have been granted increased ratings, with the headache rating now at 30 percent effective from June 17, 2017. The initial rating for anxiety disorder and adjustment disorder has also been increased to 50 percent effective from January 11, 2011.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his current anxiety disorder is related to his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD claim was denied, but he is granted service connection for other psychiatric disabilities including Adjustment Disorder and Anxiety Disorder. The decision is mixed as some issues were granted while others were not.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Board has remanded the case to verify in-service stressors and provide an opinion on whether his current psychiatric conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA psychiatric examination to determine the nature and etiology of his diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. The case will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including psychosis, depression, and anxiety, is being remanded due to inadequate VCAA notice and the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, right lower extremity radiculopathy, chronic lumbar strain with mild disc disease, migraines, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss, rendered her unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of July 27, 2015.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's personality disorder, by itself, is not a compensable disability and does not superimpose onto an acquired psychiatric disability during or as a result of service. The Board also found no evidence to support service connection for migraine headaches or sleep disorders.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed persistent depressive disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder were incurred in service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder has been found to more closely approximate occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70 percent rating.