Anxiety decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD. A new VA examination is required to address these issues.

The Board has denied service connection for anxiety, left knee tendonitis, and right knee tendonitis. The claim of service connection for tinnitus is remanded due to inadequate medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The issues are being returned for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Panic Disorder as these conditions are at least as likely as not etiologically related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety, and paranoid schizophrenia. The claim was not granted.

The Board has denied service connection for athletes' foot due to the lack of a current diagnosis during the appeal period.,The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for neck disability, lower back disability (secondary to left knee disability), and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and anxiety) as there are pre-decisional duty to assist errors requiring further development.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depressive disorder, GAD, and situational phobia, is granted as secondary to her service-connected bilateral knee disability. The claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of a VA examination for the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disability. The claim will be reconsidered with the possibility of an examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service. The Veteran needs to be scheduled for an examination to determine if he has any current psychiatric disorders and, if so, whether they are related to his service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 100 percent evaluation of PTSD with an effective date of July 26, 2017 has been granted. The appeal is dismissed as the issue is moot due to the grant of benefits.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches, anxiety disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea was granted. However, the appeal to determine eligibility for attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a July 2020 Rating Decision is dismissed due to lack of legal merit or entitlement under the law.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD based on personal trauma is denied, and the claim for an acquired psychiatric condition to include generalized anxiety disorder with alcohol use disorder is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for anxiety disorder was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his active service.,Claims for increased evaluations were also denied, with the exception of one issue which was remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to address the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive, anxiety disorder, and PTSD have resulted in an overall disability picture that more nearly approximates occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas since November 10, 2014. An effective date of October 3, 2019, for the award of a 70 percent rating is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, requiring an addendum opinion from a VA psychologist regarding whether the Veteran's psychiatric disorders pre-existed service and were not aggravated by service.

The Board found the Veteran was legally entitled to the benefits in question due to a service-connected disability, and thus the overpayment of educational assistance benefits was not properly created. As such, the appeal for waiver of overpayment is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for her bipolar disorder and tinnitus evaluations have been dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression with anxiety disorder was granted, and an initial disability rating of 70% was assigned effective March 17, 2022. The attorney is eligible for direct payment of fees based on this decision.

The Board has determined that the VA did not make reasonable efforts to obtain treatment records from a therapist named S.C. and has therefore remanded for further action.