Anxiety decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to a denial of due process resulting from an incorrect address for his representative, Mr. Gumpenberger.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hypertension and its relationship to his service-connected anxiety disorder. The VA needs to provide updated medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran's hypertension had its onset in service or within one year of separation, and if it is related to his service-connected psychiatric condition.

The Board has granted service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, left and right foot conditions, bilateral knee conditions, and denied service connection for GERD and sleep apnea. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and provide an opinion regarding the etiology of GERD.

The Board has remanded the case due to duty-to-assist errors and a need for an examination to determine if the appellant was insane at the time of his in-service marijuana violations.

The Veteran's appeals for ratings related to his right elbow and lumbar strain were dismissed. The Board found service connection for PTSD and unspecified anxiety disorder, granting the claim.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a lack of clarity on whether it is caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and associated GERD. The examiner must provide an opinion addressing these issues.

The Veteran's claims for lipomas, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and any acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran should be provided with new VA examinations to determine the current severity and manifestations of his lipomas, as well as the nature and etiology of his hearing loss, tinnitus, and any acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood is granted a disability rating of 70 percent, effective from the date of his increased-rating claim in May 2015.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding VA treatment records and will consider service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bipolar disorder, including whether it is a congenital defect or disease. The examiner must provide an opinion on these issues.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's death, and no service connection decisions were made.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD due to military sexual trauma, finding no credible supporting evidence of a stressor event and thus no valid diagnosis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that he is not unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's OSA is caused by, aggravated by, or related to his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder and memory loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including social anxiety disorder with recurrent major depressive disorder with a history of psychotic features, is granted. The application to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is also granted.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as other specified trauma and stressor disorder with anxiety and MDD. The Veteran's unspecified respiratory disability is also found to be related to her military service. TDIU consideration will now proceed based on the newly established service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's application to reopen his previously denied claim for service connection for vertigo was granted. The Board also found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as general anxiety disorder and depression, is related to his military service.,Service connection for vertigo was remanded due to a lack of a VA examination or medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and evaluation of the Veteran's claims, including his claim for an acquired psychiatric disability related to a service-connected assault.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically major depressive disorder with anxiety, as it is found to be at least as likely as not incurred during active duty from 2007 to 2010.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension due to herbicide exposure and denied a higher rating for PTSD prior to April 3, 2019. The Veteran's hypertension was not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of hypertension during or within one year after discharge. For PTSD, the Board found that the current level of disability did not warrant a higher rating.