Anxiety decisions — 2017

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as major depression, dysthymia, anxiety disorder, and conversion disorder, resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas but not total impairment. The VA determined that a 70 percent rating is warranted for this condition.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder, previously rated at 30 percent prior to March 8, 2013, is now rated at 70 percent effective from March 8, 2013. The Veteran also meets the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder related to his active service, and therefore denies the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a disability incurred or aggravated during his active service, and thus denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining additional VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for new VA examinations to evaluate his bilateral SNHL, bilateral foot condition, bilateral knee condition, tension headaches, back condition, and muscle and joint pain.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to make a decision on the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations for his psychiatric disorder and right foot condition.

The Board has remanded the case for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO due to the Veteran's request. The appeal is still pending and will be reconsidered after the hearing.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for further development due to the need for updated VA examinations and consideration of new evidence. The initial rating claim for PTSD remains pending, as does the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder. His tinnitus remains at a maximum rating of 10 percent, and the Board finds no basis for an increased rating. The issues of anxiety disorder NOS and discontinuity of the middle ear ossicles are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining missing VA treatment records and scheduling a new VA psychiatric examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected anxiety disorder NOS. The TDIU claim will also be deferred until the increased rating claim has been completed.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available.,For his right knee patellofemoral syndrome, a 10 percent rating has been granted effective from July 9, 2013.

The Veteran's adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression is found to have been incurred in service, granted service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding whether the Veteran's unspecified anxiety disorder is related to his military service. The appeal will be returned to the AOJ after this development.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected back disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, specifically recurrent major depressive disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder, were incurred in service. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to his in-service symptoms.

The Board finds that the character of the Appellant's discharge from service is not a bar to benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Appellant.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities and their relation to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD, and therefore cannot establish service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also denied as his service-connected disabilities do not preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's current low back and psychiatric disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including schizoaffective disorder (also claimed as posttraumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety disorder), was denied because he failed to report to the scheduled VA examination without good cause. As his claim had previously been disallowed in prior final decisions, it is now denied.