Anxiety Board decisions

The Board has remanded the cases for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder, substance abuse disorder, and TDIU claim. Specifically, a new VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran’s service-connected disability and determine if any other psychiatric disorders are present. The examiner must also provide an opinion on whether the substance abuse disorder is caused by or aggravated by the service-connected anxiety disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for idiopathic essential tremors of the bilateral hands and a psychiatric disorder, as well as her claim for an increased rating for left hip strain with labral tear. The appeals are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions and conducting VA examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran's left hip disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral flat feet (claimed as ankle condition) has been reopened and granted. The claims for hypertension, hepatitis C, diabetes mellitus, adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression, and sarcoidosis have all been denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for major depressive disorder and anxiety is denied. The Board finds that the award was based on a reopened claim after final disallowance, and therefore, the earliest possible effective date is July 5, 2005.

The Veteran's PTSD with anxiety disorder NOS is granted at a 70 percent rating from February 27, 1998, to June 3, 2015. Other claims are either denied or remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically whether it is related to service-connected residuals of frostbite of the hands.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder was aggravated by the use of sertraline prescribed at a VA medical center, resulting in additional disability. The Board finds that this event was not reasonably foreseeable and grants compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for aggravation of a preexisting anxiety disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are not properly adjudicated due to procedural issues and remands them for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information about the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric condition, including whether it pre-existed service or was aggravated by service. The Veteran's mental health records need to be obtained and an examination is required.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, uterine disorder, psychiatric disorder (including panic disorder, anxiety disorder, and unspecified attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder), insomnia, and fatigue due to inadequate examinations and lack of evidence addressing the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder and other specified trauma and stressor related psychiatric disorder are granted as service-connected.,An increased disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis is now rated at 20 percent, hypertension remains noncompensable, IBS with GERD continues to be rated at 30 percent, and specific phobia and generalized anxiety disorder remain at 30 percent. Service connection for epistaxis, sinusitis, and erectile dysfunction are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for anxiety disorder, secondary to TBI, is also denied. The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s anxiety was not related to his service-connected TBI.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his generalized anxiety disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and an updated VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any mental health disorder, including PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including paranoid schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. The decision is pending further investigation.

The Veteran's service-connected Ischemic Heart Disease and other disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since August 24, 2011. His TDIU claim is granted effective from that date.

The Board has decided that service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety, should be remanded due to inadequate examination findings and the need for additional stressor development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and anxiety disorder are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions, and the VA examiner found that they were not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for PTSD, anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder due to insufficient evidence regarding a medical nexus between these conditions and in-service incidents.