Anxiety decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to March 19, 2014, for the grant of service connection for bipolar disorder including depression and anxiety symptoms with cannabis use disorder are dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for a higher initial disability rating for bipolar disorder including depression and anxiety symptoms with cannabis use disorder is also dismissed.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for fatigue and memory loss due to exposure at Camp Lejeune, as well as compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a left eye blind spot due to VA medical treatment on June 26, 2014 are all dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected back condition and depression rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from February 6, 2008 to April 1, 2009. From July 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010, his combined disabilities continued to prevent substantial gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA psychiatric examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorder, including whether any current psychiatric disability is related to service or worsened by his service-connected tinnitus and hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional evidence and medical opinions regarding the appellant's character of discharge and whether he was insane at the time of his misconduct.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for schizophrenia, an unspecified psychotic disorder, anxiety disorder, and asthma due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder, as well as his claim for TDIU due to lack of sufficient evidence regarding the onset and causation of these conditions during active service.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss. The remaining issues, including respiratory disability, psychiatric disorder, cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, and foot disabilities, are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and further development of his mental health records.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as he did not meet the schedular criteria and there is no evidence of unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for CFS is not warranted. The Veteran's claim was denied in March 2009, and he filed a petition to reopen his claim on April 30, 2014. The Board also found remanded issues related to service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, initial compensable rating for CFS, and entitlement to TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right elbow, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, and left knee patellofemoral syndrome. The Veteran’s anxiety disorder was also denied a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for the Veteran's Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), finding that his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, as well as his claim for TDIU due to service-connected disability. The claims are being remanded because there is insufficient evidence and the Veteran needs a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional evidence and an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's PTSD and anxiety disorder are related to his military service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety and vascular dementia, is related to his active duty service. However, due to concerns about the medical opinion provided, the case is being remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder, anxiety, and PTSD, due to personal assault. The evidence shows that the Veteran experienced military sexual trauma during her service which led to current mental health conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted. The right knee pain and acquired psychiatric condition are related to her service-connected back, left knee, and right hip disabilities. Tinnitus is presumed due to in-service noise exposure. Bilateral hearing loss has not been established as a disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate discussion of potentially favorable evidence and failure to seek out service treatment records through the Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC). The Veteran's in-service stressors need to be verified, and a VA psychological evaluation is required.

The Veteran's service-connected undiagnosed skin disorder, manifested by skin flushing, was granted. The issues of increased ratings for generalized anxiety disorder and tension-type headaches, as well as the cervical strain with degenerative disc disease prior to January 28, 2020, and patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee with osteoarthritis remain pending.