Anxiety decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient VCAA notice regarding service connection for anxiety as secondary to a service-connected condition, specifically status post melanoma of the left shoulder with radical excision and asymptomatic scar.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection of anxiety disorder, bilateral hearing loss, right and left arm disabilities, as well as an increased rating for tinnitus and earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus. The claim for a left knee disability was granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's unspecified anxiety disorder is related to her military service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current anxiety disorder is related to service stressors. The Veteran needs a new examination to determine if his anxiety disorder is at least as likely as not caused by in-service trauma.

Service connection for gout is withdrawn and dismissed. Service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include major depressive disorder and anxiety. The appeals for increased ratings for service-connected low back disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (sciatic nerve), radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (anterior crural nerve), and TDIU are all remanded.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, has been manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas. The current evaluation of 70 percent is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and anxiety disorder, is remanded due to the need for further development. His claim for bilateral hearing loss is also remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU prior to January 9, 2019 was denied. The Board found that the criteria for a compensable rating were not met at any time during the appeal period due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. For TDIU, the Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria as of January 3, 2017, and there was no indication he was unemployable prior to that date.

The Veteran's anxiety and depression are granted service connection, but his hemorrhoids and rectal bleeding are denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating for major depressive disorder and TDIU have been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of these appeals.

The Board denied service connection for depression and anxiety disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records, including VA and private treatment records from the Veteran's time in the 1980s, at the Vet Center in Los Angeles, California, and any counseling he received for panic attacks. The appellant is asked to provide necessary identification of sources.

The Veteran's panic disorder with anxiety disorder is rated at 70 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating of 100 percent is not warranted due to the severity, frequency, and duration of his symptoms.

The Veteran's 70 percent rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder (previously rated as posttraumatic stress disorder) is restored effective February 26, 2015. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, finding that her current diagnoses are related to her reported in-service stressors.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and other mental health conditions, has been reopened. The case is remanded to obtain additional evidence and a VA medical opinion regarding the in-service stressor allegations.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and claustrophobia, is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for anxiety with depression is granted. The claim for service connection for personality disorder is denied. For the period prior to April 23, 2021, the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for panic disorder is granted and rated at 50 percent. After April 23, 2021, the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for panic disorder remains at 50 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted with effective dates of November 22, 2011. Service connection for anxiety disorder is also granted as secondary to the service-connected tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include a neuropsychiatric condition, a nervous disorder, anxiety, depression and PTSD, as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The decision also denied the claim for total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.