Anxiety decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection of a bilateral knee disability. The claims for body pain, bilateral hearing loss, and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood are dismissed. Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss. The remaining issues of service connection for neck disability, bilateral knee disability, and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and incomplete evidence, including a lack of opinion on whether the Veteran's prostate cancer aggravates his anxiety disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss due to potential changes in diagnoses and evidence of worsening symptoms.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination to assess the Veteran's psychiatric disorders and TBI.

The Veteran's service-connected anxiety reaction and postoperative abdominal scar, left axilla prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted the claim for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, but has remanded them due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss, sinus condition, and anxiety disorder due to incomplete records and lack of verification of military service.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and remanded the issue of service connection for a sleep disorder.

Service connection is granted for anxiety disorder, NOS and PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's psychiatric conditions and their relation to service. The Veteran needs a VA examination to determine if his current psychiatric disorders are related to service, including whether they preexisted service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's assertions regarding in-service stressors have been confirmed, and he meets the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. Therefore, service connection is granted.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, and PTSD. The right wrist rating claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for anxiety disorder has been reopened and granted. Service connection is also granted for the left knee disability, which is considered secondary to his service-connected back and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder was granted a 50% rating effective April 9, 2015. The Veteran's diabetic polyneuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities received initial ratings of 10%, 20%, and 20% prior to April 22, 2013, and thereafter. TDIU was granted.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for anxiety disorder and panic disorder without agoraphobia, as well as his claim for TDIU, are being remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a right knee disability, and a kidney disorder have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a current diagnosis of PTSD or other mental health conditions related to military service, and there was no chronicity of symptoms since service. For the right knee disability, the Veteran's arthritis was not shown within one year of separation from service, and continuity of symptomatology could not be established. The kidney disorder claim is pending as it has not been addressed in detail.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is attributable to service and grants service connection for PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD with depression and anxiety, due to military sexual trauma.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), a sleep disorder, and migraine headaches due to inadequate examination reports and missing in-service noise exposure records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete records and need for additional examinations.