Anxiety decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depressive disorder and anxiety disorder, was incurred in service. The VA examiner must provide an updated opinion based on the Veteran's medical history and treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, cervical spine disability, thoracolumbar spine disability, and psychiatric disorder are denied. The Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension is remanded due to pending SSA disability benefits application.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, anxiety disorder, type II diabetes mellitus with retinopathy, tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and bilateral hearing loss, have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that the Veteran's current anxiety disorder is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent her from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, as she is already in receipt of a combined 100% rating for the entire period on appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities, specifically a depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and PTSD. The VA is instructed to schedule an examination for a psychiatric evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for psychiatric disability, including anxiety and depression, has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran. The appeal is without prejudice to a future substitute claimant.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety, mood disorder, and hypervigilance, is denied as his appeal was properly withdrawn.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VA examination and need for further evaluation of the Veteran's mental health disorder, diagnosed as adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. The examiner is asked to determine if this condition was incurred in service.

The Board has determined that new evidence supports the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, which was previously denied. The Veteran experienced military sexual trauma during basic training and her PTSD is found to be related to this stressor.

The Board denied service connection for COPD and the cause of death due to COPD, finding that there was no evidence linking COPD to active duty service.,The Veteran passed away from COPD, but he was not service connected for anxiety or COPD at the time of his death.

The Board denied service connection for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression, right hip strain, and chronic pain syndrome as they are not related to the Veteran's active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including traumatic arthritis of the left ankle and degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to March 26, 2019.

The Veteran's low back disability, which includes a service-connected depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder, was found to not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent from August 22, 2017.

The Veteran's skin condition is granted a 10% rating from April 19, 2022. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and anxiety) is granted. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate opinion in a previous VA examination, and another examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability had its onset during service or is otherwise related to service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for anxiety has been reopened, and the appeal is granted. The issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is remanded.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as adjustment disorder with anxiety, is related to active military service and has been granted service connection.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a psychiatric disability, including based on reopening due to new and material evidence in 1994. The Veteran's claim was initially denied in July 1995 but reopened in June 2010.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from maintaining substantially gainful employment as of May 22, 2017.,The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU from May 22, 2017.