Anxiety decisions — 2023

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including MDD, anxiety, and PTSD, due to a lack of current diagnosis.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including MDD and PTSD. The appeal is granted to this extent only.

The Veteran's right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is rated at 20 percent, and his anxiety and depressive disorders are rated at 70 percent. The Board has granted a TDIU effective August 29, 2012.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition (claimed as anxiety and depression) because there is no current diagnosis of such a condition in accordance with DSM-5.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation for any period on appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU effective as of February 27, 2014.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depressive disorder, and GAD, was granted in a January 2023 rating decision. The matter is dismissed as the appeal has been resolved.

The Veteran's initial rating for his psychiatric disorder remains at 50 percent, and the Board has remanded the issues of higher ratings and TDIU.

Service connection for left knee disability, including knee medial meniscal symptoms and degenerative joint disease, is granted as secondary to service-connected right total knee arthroplasty.,Service connection for PTSD and unspecified anxiety disorder is granted.

The Veteran's adjustment disorder with anxiety is rated at 70 percent, but the Board denied a higher rating as it did not meet the criteria for a more than 70 percent rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete STRs and outstanding VA treatment records. The issues include gout, cervical spine disorder, back disorder, anxiety disorder, respiratory disorder, sleep/fatigue disorder, headaches, and muscle pain disorders, all potentially related to Persian Gulf service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected due to noise exposure during active duty.,Service connection for an unspecified anxiety disorder and unspecified depressive disorder are granted as secondary to his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The hearing loss case is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety is granted. The Board finds the evidence to be in approximate balance as to whether the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder is related to his military service.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted. The private examiner opined that it was more likely than not secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied a higher initial disability rating for the service-connected unspecified anxiety disorder, finding that the Veteran's symptoms more nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Board has remanded the cases for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for a neurological seizure disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder characterized by anxiety and depression, and an eating disorder secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claims for specific phobia, acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression and anxiety), left knee degenerative joint disease, bilateral hip condition as secondary to back disability, rating in excess of 20 percent for specific phobia, rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities are all granted. The effective date for the grant of service connection for specific phobia is set at December 27, 2015.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his service-connected unspecified anxiety disorder and for entitlement to a TDIU prior to March 23, 2020. The claims are being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and an examination.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to his military service and granted.,The Veteran's hypertension was not found to meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to potential missing service treatment records and the need for additional medical examinations. The issues of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, obstructive sleep apnea secondary to a service-connected condition, and bilateral foot condition secondary to knee conditions are all being remanded.