Anxiety Board decisions

The Board has ordered a new examination to clarify the Veteran's current psychiatric diagnoses and assess whether any of them are related to service, including an in-service stressor.

The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorders are currently rated at 70 percent since June 27, 2011. Prior to this date, the rating was 50 percent.,Effective June 27, 2011, the Veteran is granted a TDIU on a schedular basis.

The claim for service connection for PTSD is granted, but the Veteran's anxiety and depression are not related to service or a service-connected disability. The appeal is remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to June 10, 2008 was denied as the evidence did not show that he had difficulty obtaining and retaining employment due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder, NOS is rated at 50 percent since the entire period on appeal. The symptoms are most comparable to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

Your anxiety and depression have been granted service connection for PTSD, which is already in your record. The issues of anxiety and depression are now without controversy as they are related to your service-connected PTSD.

The Board has determined that additional examinations are necessary to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions, and remanded several issues for further development.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia is rated at 40 percent, and she is granted a TDIU due to her service-connected disabilities. The decision also notes that the Veteran's symptoms are not refractory to therapy.

The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete records and need for further examination. Specifically, the Veteran's service personnel records are needed, as well as private treatment records from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital regarding his back surgery. The psychiatric case also requires a new VA examination to determine if PTSD is related to in-service stressors or other conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran will be provided an opportunity to provide additional evidence and respond to a Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Board has granted service connection for anxiety disorder, finding the evidence to be in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's military service caused his anxiety disorder. The claims of service connection for brain cancer and right neck cancer due to herbicide agent exposure are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and/or schizoaffective disorder, is being remanded due to inadequate examination opinions. Additional development is required to determine the etiology of any current psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disorder, is remanded due to the need for a VA examination. The claim for service connection for PTSD due to military sexual trauma (MST) is also remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, left knee disability, right knee disability, right shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety and depression). The claims are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset of these conditions in service or their relationship to service.

This decision remands several issues including entitlement to a compensable rating for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, as well as anxiety disorder. The Veteran's claims are being returned for further development.,The effective date for service connection for anxiety disorder is not earlier than September 12, 2011.

Service connection for fibromyalgia, IBS, and heart disease has been granted.,Service connection for a left leg disorder, right leg disorder, arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, and arthritis of the cervical spine have been denied.

The Veteran's service-connected depression and anxiety have been rated at 30 percent, but he contends that his symptoms warrant a higher rating. The VA examiner found occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with persistent depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, is now considered service-connected due to the submission of new evidence that supports a link between her in-service sexual assault and her current mental health conditions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, granted service connection for tinnitus, and denied service connection for anxiety disorder.