Anxiety decisions — 2019

The Veteran's left side sciatica is rated at 10 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's ureterolithiasis is currently rated at 30 percent and does not warrant an increase in disability rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and a mood disorder; and for a cardiovascular condition, including hypertension. The claims are being remanded to provide proper notice regarding personal assault claims and to obtain new VA examinations.

The appeal was dismissed because the Veteran's substantive appeal regarding his increased ratings and service connection claims for ankle sprains, hearing loss, knee disability, foot disability, and anxiety disorder was not timely filed.

The Veteran's claims for a right knee disability, an acquired psychological condition (including adjustment disorder with anxiety depressed mood), and a back disability have been denied.,Service connection has not been established for any of the conditions listed.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD with anxiety and major depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Veteran's coronary artery disease remains on appeal as it has been rated at 30 percent since June 2016.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and anxiety/stress disorders due to potential lack of medical records, particularly those from Dr. F.-M. at Tulane Medical Center.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, lower extremity radiculopathy, anxiety disorder, and TDIU. The Veteran will need new VA examinations for his lumbar spine and peripheral nerve conditions, as well as a review of his psychiatric disability. If the ratings do not qualify him for a TDIU prior to April 9, 2015, he will be referred to the Director, Compensation Service, for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a link between his current mental health condition and his military service.

The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder was rated at 30 percent, and the Board found that it did not warrant an increased rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his left eyebrow scar and initial rating for anxiety disorder are remanded due to the need for missing treatment records and examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, a cervical spine disability, and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy. The Board also denied his requests for initial evaluations in excess of 30 percent for tension headaches, a compensable evaluation for TBI, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for a cranium scar.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied, but he was granted service connection for anxiety, adjustment, and circadian rhythm sleep disorders. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD in conformance with the DSM-IV or V.

The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment beginning on July 28, 2016. The Board granted an effective date of July 28, 2016 for the award of a TDIU.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability, including obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder with agoraphobia, and unspecified depressive disorder, was rated at 70 percent prior to January 30, 2015. The rating is denied as the symptoms did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for anxiety with stress and depression due to a lack of medical evidence addressing whether these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.,The Veteran's entrance examination did not reveal any umbilical hernia, but his service treatment records indicate that he developed increased pain in this area during basic training. The Board has also remanded the claim for an umbilical hernia.

The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric condition, including PTSD, is denied as there is no current diagnosis of a mental disorder.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is currently rated at 70 percent effective October 16, 2008. Effective July 16, 2012, the Veteran's anxiety disorder is rated at 100 percent.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for anxiety disorder is denied, and his request for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU) is also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for other specified anxiety disorder, chronic, including depression, nightmares, panic attacks, claustrophobia, and PTSD, with an effective date of March 26, 2004. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service stressors as a cryptographer.