Anxiety decisions — 2019

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected due to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension secondary to diabetes mellitus are remanded for further development.,Service connection for anxiety disorder (including PTSD) is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for PTSD, insomnia, anxiety, and hypertension due to delays in previous decisions and incomplete evidence. The Veteran's psychiatric disability is recharacterized as encompassing any diagnosed psychiatric condition, including PTSD. Further development is needed to determine if the Veteran meets the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD and whether his symptoms are related to service. If service connection is granted for a psychiatric disability, an examination will be arranged to confirm hypertension and assess its relationship to the service-connected psychiatric disability.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and anxiety disorder, secondary to a service-connected disability. The decision also acknowledges that the Veteran's sleep apnea and bilateral feet disorders remain on appeal.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability (anxiety and depression) is denied as there is no evidence of its onset during service. The Veteran's back disability does not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and schizophrenia and an anxiety disorder (other than PTSD). The earlier effective date claims for back, left knee, and right knee disabilities were not addressed in the decision.,There is no indication of a link between the Veteran's claimed conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including migraine headaches and left ankle osteoarthritis, are deemed to preclude him from following substantial gainful employment. The Board has remanded the matter for further consideration by the Director of Compensation Services.

The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic esophageal cancer, was found to be proximately caused by his service-connected anxiety disorder. As a result, the Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability and PTSD, anxiety, and depression has been remanded due to insufficient evidence. The case will be reviewed again with the provision of proper notification and a VA examination.

The Board has already granted service connection for PTSD with adjustment disorder and anxiety, which includes the symptoms of adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. Therefore, this issue is dismissed as there are no longer any unresolved claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral eye disorder and a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, were denied as the evidence did not establish a link between his current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD with adjustment disorder was found to result in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50% rating. The appeal for an increased rating is denied.

The Board found that the appellant's service was dishonorable due to a general court-martial conviction for sexual abuse of his step-daughter. The character of discharge bars VA benefits, as he would not have been eligible for a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable at the end of his first obligated period of service.

The Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis is granted service connection and an effective date of July 6, 2012.,An unspecified anxiety disorder is granted service connection with an effective date of July 6, 2012.,GERD is granted service connection with an effective date of May 4, 2015.,The Veteran's left wrist disability and right foot and left foot frostbite residuals are remanded for further action regarding earlier effective dates.,Right foot and left foot frostbite residuals with degenerative changes are also remanded for further action regarding earlier effective dates.

The Board denied claims for hypertension, PTSD, hepatitis C, and a bilateral ear disability. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety disorder) was reopened based on new evidence provided by the Veteran's attorney.

The Veteran's service-connected Generalized Anxiety Disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has ordered a remand to assess its current severity.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for anxiety disorder from November 12, 2013 was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show total occupational and social impairment sufficient to warrant a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the DIC claims due to incomplete development of evidence and issues regarding the effective date of a rating for HIV/AIDS. The Veteran's cause of death is also under review.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claim for an extension of her delimiting date for Montgomery GI Bill educational benefits is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if her service-connected mental disabilities prevented her from initiating or completing her chosen program of education.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, and dismissed the Veteran's appeal.