Anxiety decisions — 2023

The Veteran's Unspecified Anxiety Disorder is granted service connection, while the issues of PTSD, sleep apnea (secondary to PTSD), left hip disorder, right hip disorder, and urinary disorder are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disorder and its relationship to service or service-connected nephrolithiasis. Additional evidence is needed, including treatment records from Vet Center, chaplain, private psychiatrist, and Dr. R.F.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome but has remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to potential secondary or aggravation relationships.

The Board has remanded the case for obtaining outstanding medical records and readjudicating the claims on appeal. The Veteran is required to submit or authorize VA to obtain all non-VA medical records related to his claims, including those from a private primary care physician he was seeing since 2009.

The Veteran's initial rating for service-connected adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood was denied. However, a higher initial rating of 40 percent for lumbar strain prior to August 17, 2020 was granted. The issue regarding the initial rating for gastric ulcers is remanded.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions regarding the Veteran's left foot disability, left knee disability, and psychiatric disability are inadequate. The claims for service connection are being remanded to allow for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder with anxious distress features (claimed as PTSD), has been granted. The rating for osteoarthritis of the left knee remains at 10 percent and the effective date for this decision is not specified.

Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for adjustment disorder with anxiety has been granted. The claim for TDIU is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew it. The claim for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no final decision can be made on the merits of his claims.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted at a 100% rating from July 25, 2015 to September 7, 2017. Other issues related to PTSD are remanded.

The Veteran's bladder cancer, status post radical cystoprostatectomy, was granted a 100% rating effective October 26, 2017. His erectile dysfunction and GAD were also addressed with appropriate ratings.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the failure of a VA examination. The issues include back disability, hearing loss, mental health disabilities (PTSD, depression, anxiety), and allergy.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection has been decided. The issues of SMC based on aid and attendance or housebound status, compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a right hand disability, and entitlement to a rating in excess of 70 percent for major depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder prior to November 7, 2017 have been dismissed.,The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis has been rated as severe flatfoot. The issue of service connection for a left wrist disability secondary to bilateral plantar fasciitis is being remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically panic disorder, is rated at 70 percent since June 27, 2005. The Board also granted a TDIU for the same period.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining an opinion regarding whether the Veteran had a separate disability of the throat or throat cancer that was distinct from his service-connected squamous cell carcinoma. The issues also include determining if this condition is related to presumed in-service herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, particularly PTSD. A new VA examination is needed to determine if any of these conditions are related to service.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including higher ratings for depression with anxiety disorder and TBI, as well as propriety of reduction in right shoulder and headache ratings. The claims are being returned to the AOJ for further examination and consideration.

The Veteran's service connection for chronic edema of the bilateral lower extremities and initial rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder (mood disorder with anxiety and depression) have been granted. The Veteran has a current diagnosis of chronic edema which is proximately due to his hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus, and he also experiences total occupational and social impairment related to his mood disorder.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent disabling, and the claim for a higher rating has been denied. The Board also found that TDIU was granted from April 26, 2012 to November 13, 2017.