Anxiety decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the case due to pre-decisional errors and insufficient medical opinions, requiring further development of the record.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Mood, as well as her claim for service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's adjustment disorder resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Veteran was granted a Total Disability Rating for Compensation Purposes Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) from July 16, 2020 to July 6, 2021 due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, unspecified anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder due to a lack of medical nexus between his service and these conditions.

The Veteran's son, B.G., was found to be permanently incapable of self-support prior to age 18 due to his mental health conditions and joint pain. The Board granted the Veteran's request for recognition as an adult dependent.

The Veteran's TDIU is granted due to his service-connected Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which renders him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The effective date for the grant of TDIU will be assigned by the RO.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to April 17, 2021, for the increased 70 percent rating for unspecified anxiety disorder is denied. The Board found that the earliest ascertainable increase in disability manifestations from a 50% to a 70% rating occurred on May 20, 2021, and thus the effective date of April 17, 2021, was appropriate.

The Veteran's claims for right elbow pain, left elbow pain, anxiety, depressive disorder, neck condition, and sleep disorder have been denied.,There is no evidence of a current disability in any of these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and a need for additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disability other than his service-connected anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae is granted a disability rating of 30 percent from June 15, 2020. Service connection for anxiety depression and adjustment disorder is denied.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA benefits were granted with an effective date of November 2, 2014. The Board found that the service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment as early as November 2, 2014.,VA has a duty to maximize benefits for the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) was dismissed. The Board also remanded the issues of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent and to a compensable rating thereafter, for right knee instability, and entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder due to a lack of an adequate opinion regarding the relationship between her mental health disabilities and military service, specifically related to sexual assault.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for service-connected unspecified anxiety disorder and chronic tension-type headaches was denied. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings, with his anxiety disorder rated at 30 percent and his headaches rated as noncompensable.

The Board has remanded the case due to errors in the initial decision and a need for further development, including verification of PTSD stressors and an examination to determine if the acquired psychiatric disability is related to service.

The Veteran's PTSD with somatic symptom disorder and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood is granted a 100 percent disability rating, effective August 20, 2024. The claim for an initial compensable rating for Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD) remains denied.

The Board has remanded seven service connection claims for erectile dysfunction, irritable bowel syndrome, allergic rhinitis, hypertension, acid reflux with nausea, insomnia, anxiety, and depression, as well as sinusitis. The AOJ must attempt to obtain the Veteran's complete service treatment records from his last duty station at Fort Knox, KY.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at a 60 percent evaluation, effective as of the date of this decision.,The Veteran's right knee chondromalacia patella and degenerative joint disease are both denied ratings in excess of their current evaluations.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder and PTSD, finding that her current condition is at least as likely as not related to in-service military sexual trauma (MST).

The Board has determined that the March 2021 rating decision on appeal is remanded due to deficiencies in the February 2021 VA medical opinion and pre-decisional duty to assist errors regarding service connection for restrictive lung disease, psychiatric disorder, enlarged fatty liver, and GERD.