Anxiety decisions — 2020

The Board found that the Veteran's anxiety reaction did not result in a substantially impaired ability to establish or maintain effective relationships, and psychoneurotic symptoms did not manifest as severe industrial impairment due to reduced reliability, flexibility, and efficiency levels at the time of the February 12, 1965 rating decision.

The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim for service connection for invasive pituitary adenoma (claimed as brain tumor), with associated shortness of breath and nerve damage is granted. The appeal is granted to this extent only, while other claims are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to lack of substantial compliance with a previous remand directive regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, specifically depression and anxiety. The VA examiner needs to provide an addendum opinion on whether any psychiatric disability clearly and unmistakably pre-existed service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for increased evaluation of anxiety disorder and TDIU need further development due to missing evidence, failure to report for a VA examination, and inextricability between the two issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disorders and her service connection claims. The Veteran is required to provide VA treatment records, a new examination, and an updated medical opinion.

The Veteran's appeals for effective dates and benefits have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased rating claims due to his withdrawal of those appeals. The Board also granted a 100 percent schedular rating for service-connected unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, effective as of January 4, 2010.

The appeal to reopen a claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (other than PTSD) is granted. The claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's GAD is granted at a rating of 30 percent for the period from February 22, 2012 to October 10, 2019 and at a rating of 50 percent thereafter. The issues regarding hypothyroidism and TDIU are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's anxiety disorder, specifically whether it began in service or was caused by military stressors.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability evaluation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, including Nervousness with Persistent Depressive Disorder is granted. The claims for service connection of Right Hip Disorder, Left Hip Disorder, and Lumbar Spine Disorder are granted as new and material evidence has been received.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, including anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to his service, specifically his time in Vietnam.

The Veteran's initial rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder and anxiety, is granted at a 70 percent level. However, the appeal for ratings more than 70 percent for this condition after January 23, 2018 is denied.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted.,The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that an increased rating beyond this level is not warranted based on the evidence of record.,The Veteran's right fractured foot residuals are currently rated as noncompensable. The Board has determined that additional examination or development may be necessary to determine if a compensable rating is warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to December 1, 2014.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, manic depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, mood disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and antisocial disorder due to incomplete development of evidence.

The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric diagnoses are related to service or caused by his service-connected seizure disorder, and to identify all currently diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus requires a rating in excess of 10 percent, but no higher. The effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits have been granted as July 1, 2015. The issues of increased ratings for generalized anxiety disorder with insomnia NOS and alcohol abuse, prostate cancer, irradiation proctitis associated with prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were withdrawn. The Veteran was granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his pain medication for service-connected conditions, and a 50 percent rating was granted for his acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder, and PTSD as there was no evidence of a current disability related to service.