Anxiety Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disability, and therefore service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied.

The Veteran's claims for HIV, Hepatitis C, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his service connection claims.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected ganglion cyst. The issues include rating adjustments and service connection claims.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with associated anxiety and depression are totally disabling from June 24, 2006, to the present. The Board grants a 100 percent schedular evaluation for this period.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing due to the lack of notice regarding an earlier scheduled hearing. The claims for service connection are pending.

The Veteran's PTSD and anxiety disorder are rated at 30 percent, effective March 3, 2008. The claim for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is related to his experiences in service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD with anxiety, depression, and psychotic episodes, that was caused by his service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to report for a scheduled Travel Board hearing. The case will be returned to the Newark RO for scheduling another hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and his acquired psychiatric disability is not related to his military service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and anxiety disorder, finding that there was no current diagnosis of PTSD and that his symptoms were not related to his military service.

The Veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, shown to be related to service or a stressor event. His anxiety and depression are attributed to non-service-related factors.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and to determine if his cognitive disability and psychiatric disabilities are related to service. The Board will also seek clarification on the pre-service status of his cognitive disability.

The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD and did not have an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, incurred or aggravated by active duty service. The diagnoses of anxiety disorders were established.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected anxiety disorder and any relevant treatment records.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder with PTSD symptoms has been rated at 50 percent since the initial grant of service connection, and the Board finds that his disability does not warrant a higher rating based on current symptomatology.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is rated at 70 percent disabling, effective July 20, 2012. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for his anxiety disorder or any of the other conditions listed.

The Veteran's PTSD, anxiety neurosis in a schizoid personality, and psychiatric disorder other than PTSD are all found to be related to his service. The claim for hypertension is also granted as it is considered part of the same disability picture.

The Board has recharacterized the Veteran's original claims of entitlement to service connection for anxiety disorder, dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder, and chronic adjustment disorder as a claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The appeal is denied because there is no evidence that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder had onset during active service or was caused by his service-connected asbestosis.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and anxiety disorder, did not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of evidence linking it to active duty or in-service personal assaults. The VA examiner concluded there was no diagnosis of PTSD based on a verified in-service stressor.