Anxiety decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including those for right shoulder disability, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar strain, left knee strain, right knee scars, bilateral hearing loss, and adjustment disorder with anxiety. The VA treatment records from December 2014 to the present are requested.

The Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder is currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet or more nearly approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, anxiety disorder, diabetes mellitus, type II, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU for the entire period on appeal.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea, as well as a need for an updated evaluation of his service-connected psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and anxiety/depressive disorders, are deemed to have been incurred in service due to his active duty as a fire controlman during Operation Enduring Freedom. The Board has ordered remand for further examination and opinion regarding the onset of these conditions.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including strain with degenerative joint disease and retropatellar pain syndrome, is rated at 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 5260. A separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability is granted.,Anxiety disorder is rated at 50 percent based on occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's initial increased rating for coronary artery disease from October 12, 2012 to March 1, 2016 was denied as his condition did not meet the criteria for a higher than 60 percent disability rating. The reduction of his rating from 60 percent to 10 percent effective March 1, 2016 was found proper based on improvement in his symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examination reports and conflicting opinions. The issues include tinnitus, left knee disability, right knee disability, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, left lower extremity sciatica, right lower extremity sciatica, acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety and depression), and bilateral hearing loss.

The appeal for tuberculosis service connection is dismissed.,Service connection granted for obstructive sleep apnea secondary to intrinsic restrictive lung disease and unspecified anxiety disorder secondary to intrinsic restrictive lung disease.,A 30 percent rating was granted for intrinsic restrictive lung disease from November 14, 2012 to November 16, 2016. The issue of a higher initial rating is remanded.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is granted a rating of 50 percent effective June 18, 2012. The temporary total disability rating for degenerative disc disease with arthritis from September 12, 2014 to September 29, 2014 is denied. The issues of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and chondromalacia of the left patellofemoral joint are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss due to the need for additional medical examination and consideration of new evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD related to a personal assault during her active duty for training (ADT) in July 1984 is granted. The Board also found sufficient evidence of other acquired psychiatric disorders, but these are not separately service connected.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding in-service stressors. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is now pending again, and the AOJ must verify his claimed stressors with appropriate records repositories.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, as the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's current conditions began during service or were related to any in-service injury, event, or disease.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's anxiety disorder, diagnosed as Anxiety Disorder NOS, is related to his active military service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's Schmorl’s nodes of the lumbar spine are found to be etiologically related to her active service and service connection is granted. The issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety and PTSD, is remanded.

The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder because no VA examiner has provided an opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current diagnoses and his active service. The Veteran should be scheduled for a VA examination to determine if his current diagnoses are related to in-service anxiety.

The Veteran is granted an initial rating of 70 percent for PTSD from December 6, 2008. The appeal regarding a higher rating prior to January 21, 2016 is remanded due to insufficient discussion in the Board decision.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical records and to provide the Veteran with an examination to determine the nature and etiology of her acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder is not reopened due to lack of material evidence. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety and depression, secondary to service-connected bilateral hearing loss is granted. Service connection for hypertension is denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is set at March 30, 2017.