Anxiety decisions — 2017

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum VA psychiatric examination to address whether any currently diagnosed psychiatric disorder clearly and unmistakably pre-existed service and was not aggravated by service.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions prior to October 14, 2010 did not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected anxiety and depressive disorders have been found to result in total occupational and social impairment, warranting a 70% disability rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verification of service periods and additional medical examinations to determine if hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder are related to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran that corroborates his reported in-service stressors. The VA will schedule a psychiatric examination and provide an opinion on whether any identified psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disorder, are related to his military service.

The Veteran's right ankle degenerative joint disease and acquired psychiatric disabilities, including major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety, are found to be related to his service-connected tinnitus. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an initial rating for acquired psychiatric disorders prior to February 9, 2013 have been granted. The Veteran is currently rated at the highest possible percentage (100%) due to total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and conducting new examinations. The TDIU claim may also be impacted by the outcome of these issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and anxiety disorder NOS are all service-connected.

The Board has determined that a new examination and medical opinion are necessary to determine the etiology of the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder, including whether it is related to his service. The Veteran participated in combat during active duty in Vietnam.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from the Babylon Vet Center and updated VA treatment records. The issues of entitlement to a higher rating for PTSD and anxiety disorder with social phobia effective February 26, 2010, and an earlier effective date for TDIU are inextricably intertwined.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including consideration of new evidence and an addendum opinion from the VA examiner who conducted a PTSD disability benefits questionnaire.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and SSA records, scheduling a VA examination, and reviewing his TDIU claim in light of the increased rating claim.

The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment consistent with his education, training, and work experience as of January 1, 2008.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Board has determined that the anxiety disorder NOS with PTSD warrants a 30 percent disability rating prior to June 22, 2012, and no higher. From June 22, 2012, the Veteran's anxiety disorder NOS with PTSD warrants a maximum of a 30 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD has been denied as there is no current medical diagnosis of PTSD and the Board finds that the Veteran did not meet the DSM criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for malignant carcinoid syndrome, claimed as colon cancer, and an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD and depressive disorder. The evidence received since the prior final denial is not new or material.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder began during his military service and is therefore granted service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and for further development of the claims, including a new VA examination for anxiety disorder with panic attacks and hypertension.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records related to Parkinson's disease and any SSA records. An addendum opinion from the October 2016 VA examiner will be obtained regarding the etiology of his alcohol and cocaine abuse disorders. A VA psychiatric examination will also be conducted to consider the severity of all service-connected psychiatric disabilities in determining whether they impact substantially gainful employment.