Anxiety decisions — 2021

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including Adjustment Disorder, Recurrent Major Depression, Alcohol Use Disorder, and Anxiety Disorder, is related to his service. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is not related to his service or any of his service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes cavus, chronic right ankle pain, and low back pain. The VA examiner found no evidence supporting a connection between these conditions.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder have been rated at 50 percent for the entire period on appeal. The claim for a higher rating is denied, while the issue of TDIU is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a supplemental VA medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's previously diagnosed psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, primary insomnia, dysthymic disorder, and PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings on his left ankle disability, service connection for right and left leg disabilities, and acquired psychiatric disorder was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for the left ankle sprain or service connection for the right and left leg disabilities. The back and hip conditions were remanded due to insufficient information on their relationship with service. The Veteran's right and left hand disabilities were also remanded as they may be related to congenital defects, but further clarification is needed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for major depression, anxiety disorder, and hypertension have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and active duty service.,Service connection was not granted for hypertension as it is not listed among diseases presumed to be related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with earlier remand instructions, specifically regarding suicide attempts during service.

The Veteran's left foot disability is not service-connected due to lack of a current diagnosis.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, affective disorder, and polysubstance dependence, is denied as there is no in-service event or injury related to these conditions.,Obstructive sleep apnea was not service-connected due to lack of a current diagnosis.,Residuals of traumatic brain injury were not service-connected due to lack of an in-service event.

The Veteran's recurrent depressive disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder has been rated at 10 percent from October 7, 2010 to November 14, 2016; 30 percent from November 14, 2016 to August 20, 2018; and 70 percent from August 20, 2018. The appeal is remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied increased ratings for generalized anxiety disorder, both prior to September 6, 2017, and from that date onwards. The Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD, Anxiety Disorder with Depressive Features, and Depressive Disorder, NOS due to lack of evidence showing a link between the disorders and military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not produce total occupational impairment prior to June 8, 2010. Therefore, the criteria for TDIU prior to that date are not met.

The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, is dismissed as the appeal has been withdrawn from the Legacy appeals system under the AMA.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was denied. Her right foot injury residuals with arthritic changes and right saphenous neuritis were also denied as her current rating is already at the maximum allowed under VA guidelines.

The Veteran's service connection claims for headaches, respiratory disability (chronic bronchitis), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), infection of the tonsils, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fatigue, hypertension, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, shin splints, hemorrhoids, retracted testicle, and low sex drive have been granted. Effective dates prior to February 13, 2018 for bilateral foot bunions and tinnitus are denied.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because the Veteran's symptoms were already considered in his existing PTSD rating.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is rated at 50 percent, which meets the criteria for an increased rating. The condition has caused occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression was reopened, granted, and assigned a disability rating of 10%. The claims for anxiety disorder and panic disorder were denied. The Veteran's current diagnosis of pityriasis versicolor is rated at the lowest possible level (10%) and remains unchanged.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety, finding that there was no current diagnosis of a mental health condition under DSM-V criteria. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have a personality disorder due to in-service aggravation.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's migraine headaches are caused or aggravated by her service-connected anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder.