Anxiety decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is dismissed as the Veteran is already service connected for major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and recurrent depressive disorder, are found to have had their onset during his first period of active duty service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated at 50 percent, the maximum rating allowed under Diagnostic Code 8100.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (claimed as anxiety/nervous disorder) is granted with a retroactive effective date of August 27, 2009. However, the Veteran's claim for service connection for this condition must be remanded to obtain additional records and address the issue of whether he timely filed an appeal.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and left-hand disability. The right ankle disability claim is also remanded for a VA examination.

The Veteran's MDD and anxiety were not shown during service, nor are they related to his military service. The Board denied the claim for service connection as there is no separate pathology to connect to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence from Social Security Administration (SSA) records and a need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hepatitis C and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression and anxiety) due to incomplete service treatment records. The VA will attempt to verify the Veteran’s periods of active duty for training and inactive duty for training, obtain his complete service treatment records, and provide a new opinion on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence indicating that his acquired psychiatric disorder or PTSD is related to his service. The new medical evidence of record does not show a link between the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and his service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating for anxiety disorder was denied. The Board found that the current 50 percent rating adequately reflects the Veteran's disability, as she does not meet the criteria for a higher 70 percent rating.

The Veteran's cervical spine arthritis is not service connected as there was no in-service diagnosis and the condition did not manifest within one year of discharge.,Bilateral hearing loss cannot be service-connected due to lack of current diagnosis.

The Board has determined that new evidence received since the last final denial supports a diagnosis of PTSD and grants service connection for this condition. The Veteran's anxiety and depression are also granted as secondary to his diagnosed PTSD.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety, is remanded for further examination to determine the etiology of his condition.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is already considered in his service-connected PTSD rating, so separate service connection for this condition is denied.,There is no evidence of hypertension or GERD during service and they were not shown to be related to service. Therefore, these conditions are also denied as service connected.

The Board has remanded the claims for a rating in excess of 50 percent for anxiety and depressive disorder, service connection for vision problems, and service connection for vertigo as secondary to multiple sclerosis due to new evidence.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, as there is no current diagnosis of such a condition.,Service connection was also denied for PTSD due to lack of a diagnosed condition.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including dysthymia, depression, anxiety, and PTSD, is not found to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various conditions, including back condition, cataracts, hearing loss, tinnitus, sinus disability, hypertension, stomach condition (including dysmenorrhea), sickle cell anemia, thyroid disease, and psychiatric disabilities. The Veteran's claims are pending further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there is no current diagnosis of such a condition and insufficient evidence to link it to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his depressive disorder with anxiety and PTSD is remanded due to the inadequacy of the September 2014 VA examination, which did not consider the Veteran's March 2014 hospitalizations or his diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorders not otherwise specified are rated at 70 percent since July 30, 2012. The appeal is granted.