Anxiety decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran was not provided proper VCAA notice and a new examination is required.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and TDIU as moot due to the Veteran's current 100% rating.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of lumbar strain, anxiety, and plantar fasciitis.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for a new VA medical opinion. The claim will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, status post left rotator cuff repair with partial tearing with degenerative changes and bursitis, sarcoidosis, diabetes mellitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The cases are remanded due to new evidence received since the last final rating decisions.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for GAD and TDIU are being remanded due to the addition of new medical records.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings on his service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, right eye macula choroidal rupture and mature cataract, and TDIU rating are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and/or bipolar disorder (claimed as cyclothymia), was withdrawn by his attorney in April 2020. As a result, the Board dismissed the appeal.

The Board has granted the claim for service connection for the cause of death, finding that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability contributed to his death.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU is dismissed as the claim has been moot due to the award of a 100% rating and SMC at the housebound rate.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than a sleep disorder and for TDIU, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support these claims. The Board concluded that the Veteran’s current anxiety disorder is less likely related to his military service or secondary to his service-connected tinnitus and/or sleeping disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient efforts in verifying the Veteran's claimed stressors and incomplete VA examinations. The claim will be reviewed again with additional development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been reopened and granted. The TDIU claim is remanded due to the pending determination of a disability rating for PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD with symptoms of depression and other acquired psychiatric disabilities. The issue of entitlement to Total Disability due to Individual Unemployability (TDIU) is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his active duty service in Afghanistan.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for PTSD, hypertension, and diabetic glaucoma due to non-compliance with prior remand directives. Additional development is required including obtaining medical records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a new mental health examination to determine if any current psychiatric disability, including major depressive disorder and/or anxiety, is related to the Veteran's service or caused by his service-connected cervical spine disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there is no competent evidence of a nexus between his major depressive disorder or anxiety disorder and his active duty service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for PTSD, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and COPD are all granted. The Veteran is also granted service connection for PTSD with depression and anxiety.