Anxiety decisions — 2020

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's arguments and medical opinions regarding secondary service connection for sleep apnea, as well as the impact of his obesity on his sleep apnea.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examination to determine the current manifestations of her service-connected total hysterectomy and abdominal adhesions, residual effects of hysterectomy.,The Veteran seeks higher ratings for her painful surgical scar due to hysterectomy, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood due to hysterectomy, and abdominal adhesions. The case is remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's bipolar disorder with depression and anxiety disability is rated at 70 percent since May 16, 2014. The issue of an increased rating for prostate disability (benign prostatic hypertrophy) remains on appeal.,The Veteran’s right hip arthroplasty scar does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

An effective date earlier than October 12, 2017, for the award of service connection for major depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder is denied.,An effective date earlier than January 16, 2015, for the award of service connection for a left knee scar is denied.,An effective date earlier than September 24, 2010, for the award of service connection for a right knee scar is denied.

The Veteran's application to reopen his service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disability was granted. However, the claim for service connection itself is being remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a panic disorder is granted, and the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability is remanded.

The Board has granted an increased 100 percent disability rating for the service-connected psychiatric disorder, which includes major depressive disorder, recurrent, severe, generalized anxiety disorder, and traumatic brain injury. The decision is based on total occupational and social impairment due to persistent suicidal ideation and multiple suicide attempts.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been granted. The claims for increased ratings and effective dates have also been remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have asthma or hypertension in service, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.,For her headaches, the Veteran's claim is remanded as there are insufficient medical records to determine if they were incurred during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a mental health condition, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and opioid dependency, finding no evidence that these conditions were caused by an in-service event or injury.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence in the previous decision regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's claim will be sent back for further examination and opinion.

The Board has granted a 50 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder, but has remanded the issue of entitlement to a higher rating.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during active service and are related to his military service. The other psychiatric conditions were not found to be directly related to service.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for PTSD with GAD was dismissed because the Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased disability evaluation and TDIU due to issues with the current level of severity assessment and need for a new VA examination. The Veteran is also referred back to the RO for service connection on direct basis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD) are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence received and a need for an updated examination of the Veteran's anxiety disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and as secondary to a liver disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board granted a 100 percent disability rating for the Veteran's GAD and depressive disorder, effective September 15, 2014, based on new evidence that demonstrated total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and a new examination to assess his employment capacity.