Anxiety decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are not properly adjudicated due to procedural issues and remands them for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information about the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric condition, including whether it pre-existed service or was aggravated by service. The Veteran's mental health records need to be obtained and an examination is required.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, uterine disorder, psychiatric disorder (including panic disorder, anxiety disorder, and unspecified attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder), insomnia, and fatigue due to inadequate examinations and lack of evidence addressing the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder and other specified trauma and stressor related psychiatric disorder are granted as service-connected.,An increased disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis is now rated at 20 percent, hypertension remains noncompensable, IBS with GERD continues to be rated at 30 percent, and specific phobia and generalized anxiety disorder remain at 30 percent. Service connection for epistaxis, sinusitis, and erectile dysfunction are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for anxiety disorder, secondary to TBI, is also denied. The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s anxiety was not related to his service-connected TBI.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his generalized anxiety disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and an updated VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any mental health disorder, including PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including paranoid schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. The decision is pending further investigation.

The Veteran's service-connected Ischemic Heart Disease and other disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since August 24, 2011. His TDIU claim is granted effective from that date.

The Board has decided that service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety, should be remanded due to inadequate examination findings and the need for additional stressor development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and anxiety disorder are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions, and the VA examiner found that they were not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for PTSD, anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder due to insufficient evidence regarding a medical nexus between these conditions and in-service incidents.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder, has been reopened. However, the case is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of his current psychiatric disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including persistent depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and anxiety disorder; service connection for alcohol abuse disorder as secondary to his acquired psychiatric disorder; initial compensable rating for a left knee strain with limited extension; and total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The claims are remanded because the VA examinations were inadequate and additional development is required.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied, but his claim for secondary service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including anxiety disorder and depressive disorder) related to his service-connected lumbar spine disability was granted.

The Board has determined that further examination and opinion are needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, and Alzheimer’s disease. The issues have been remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety, is denied as there is no current diagnosis of a psychiatric condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, major depressive disorder, panic disorder and anxiety disorder is granted. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's application to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection of left heel spur was granted. An initial rating of 50 percent for chronic adjustment disorder, with mixed anxiety and depression, is also granted prior to May 1, 2018.