Anxiety decisions — 2020

The Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for scar tissue of the breast, anxiety, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and nerve pain are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds no basis to grant a higher rating.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder with anxiety) has been granted. The Veteran was diagnosed with this condition during service and linked it to his combat exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to an error in the previous decision regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, which is now dependent on the outcome of the rectal/colon cancer service connection claim.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for anxiety disorder, PTSD, and depressive disorder due to the need for a VA examination to clarify the nature of these conditions and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depressive disorder, and anxiety, is rated at 70 percent. The Board has granted special monthly compensation on a statutory housebound basis effective August 31, 2015. Service connection for the bilateral knee condition remains pending.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety, and for a nasal fracture and residuals. The evidence did not support the Veteran's claims that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, as there is no current diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder in the medical records.

The Veteran's appeal for a disability evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD with anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, since June 13, 2014, is dismissed. The issue of a disability evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinea corpora of the scalp and body, since September 5, 2008, is remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorder, did not begin during service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of secondary service connection for sleep apnea due to an inadequate opinion and new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD to include anxiety, a chronic sleep disorder to include obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia, and a chronic headache disorder other than sinus-related headaches to include cluster headaches.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for psychiatric disabilities, including personality disorder, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and cognitive disorder. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a disability manifested by concussion and peripheral vestibular disorder (claimed as vertigo) have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for a disorder manifested by shortness of breath and remanded the issues regarding diabetes mellitus, PTSD, unspecified depressive disorder with anxiety disorder associated with PTSD, hypertension, neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied in April 2006, and the denial became final. New evidence received since then did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was also denied as there was no competent evidence showing that it was related to service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and other specified anxiety disorder, is rated at 50 percent prior to January 16, 2018. From April 1, 2018 onwards, the rating has been increased to 70 percent.,PTSD alone is rated at 70 percent from April 1, 2018.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection due to the lack of a prior claim for PTSD or any psychiatric disability before October 20, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for persistent insomnia disorder with other specified depressive disorder and other specified anxiety disorder with panic attacks was denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment, but generally functioning satisfactorily.

The Board denied service connection for general anxiety disorder with persistent depression and dysthymia as the evidence did not show a causal relationship to military service.

The Veteran meets the schedular requirements for a TDIU rating and has been unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, including his generalized anxiety disorder with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), back disability, shoulder disability, headache disability, and hemorrhoid disability.