Anxiety decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, OCD, anxiety and depression, is granted. The claims for right knee, left knee, chronic fatigue (undiagnosed illness or other qualifying chronic disability), and headaches are remanded.

The Veteran's hypertension and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder) are remanded for further examination to determine their etiology.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, other than insomnia disorder. The Veteran is seeking service connection for an anxiety disorder secondary to his service-connected fibromyalgia or due to an undiagnosed illness related to his Persian Gulf War service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety, panic disorder, and PTSD. The Veteran's claim will be remanded again so that VA may make additional efforts to develop evidence pertinent to his claim.

The Veteran's claim for depression has been reopened and granted.,Claims for bilateral hand condition, lower back condition, and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD, anxiety, major depressive disorder, dissociative disorder) have been remanded due to new evidence.

The Board denied service connection for seizure disorder and psychiatric disorders, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability and entitlement to TDIU due to unresolved issues regarding his diagnoses and etiology of his conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but has determined that additional development is needed before the claim can be adjudicated on the merits.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, MDD, and anxiety. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's right eye condition and hypertension were denied as they are not related to service. The Board found no evidence of a superimposed disease or injury during service for the right eye condition, and there is no indication that the current wrist, back, ankle, and psychiatric conditions are related to military service.,The Veteran's bilateral wrist, lumbar spine, and right ankle disabilities were remanded as VA needs to determine if they are related to her military duties. The acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD) and mental disorder for treatment purposes were also remanded due to the need to corroborate the in-service stressor.

The Veteran's hypertension, associated with PTSD with depression and anxiety, was not rated higher than noncompensable (zero percent) due to the lack of diastolic or systolic pressure elevation requiring continuous medication. The Veteran did not meet criteria for TDIU as his service-connected disabilities do not preclude gainful employment.

The claim for diabetes mellitus type II has been reopened and granted.,The claim for coronary artery disease has been reopened and granted.,The claim for hemorrhage from brain vessels (stroke) has been reopened and denied.,The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder has been reopened and denied.,The claim for erectile dysfunction has been reopened and denied.,The claim for bilateral arthritis of the feet has been reopened and denied.,The claim for bilateral arthritis of the hands has been reopened and denied.

The Veteran's gastroesophageal reflux symptoms and acquired psychiatric disorder (including other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, major depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder) are granted service connection as due to a qualifying chronic disability. The grant of presumptive service connection for the gastrointestinal condition renders moot any theories of service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left leg condition and anxiety disorder (claimed as nervous disorder) have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of a new disability or causation to military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a secondary causation opinion addressing possible aggravation of anxiety and reactive depression by the service-connected seizure disorder.

The Board has denied reopening of the claims for service connection for fracture of the right mandible and left condyle, fractured teeth, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and mixed anxiety and depressive mood disorder). The case is remanded to obtain additional medical records and provide a new VA opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claim for hypertension was dismissed as he withdrew his appeal. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and examination, as there is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities are related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected psychiatric disability. The TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its inextricability with the increased rating claim.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain a VA examination for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety. The examiner must address whether these conditions are related to an in-service stressor or other service-connected condition.