Anxiety Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, Social Security Administration records, and a VA psychiatric examination to determine if any current psychiatric disorder is related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was unemployable due to his service-connected anxiety disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome as of March 8, 2007. The effective date for the award of a TDIU is set at January 22, 2008.

The Veteran's panic disorder with agoraphobia and generalized anxiety disorder are related to service, and the Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected psychiatric conditions and low back disability, as well as separate ratings for sciatica of the lower extremities, have been granted. Service connection has also been established for hypertension.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD with depression and anxiety. The Board finds that no such earlier effective date is warranted as the July 2006 rating decision denying service connection was final, and the August 2, 2007 submission constituted a new claim to reopen the previously denied claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, severe headaches, bilateral numbness in upper and lower extremities (hands and feet), acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder, and skin cancer. The evidence did not establish a current disability or link to service.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorder, including his adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, is currently rated at 30 percent under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. This rating reflects occupational and social impairment due to occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Board has found that the Veteran's anxiety disorder more closely approximates a 70 percent disability rating, warranting an initial evaluation higher than 50 percent for his service-connected anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disorder, has been remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims file.

The Board has ordered a remand for the Veteran's neck claim due to inadequate examination and remanding instructions. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen his passive aggressive personality disorder claim is also pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, anxiety, and major depression, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and a VA examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's anxiety and depression were not caused or aggravated by his service-connected hepatitis C.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability and readjudicating the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his pain disorder with dysthymic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA records and SSA disability benefits information. The claims will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Board granted service connection for PTSD due to a personal assault during service, and also found that the Veteran's other psychiatric disorders are related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Board hearing at the local RO. The issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, anxiety, and sleeplessness, remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to missing VA treatment records and clarification on the nature of the Veteran's low back disability.

The Board has found that the Veteran's current anxiety disorder is related to his service, specifically his time in the Southwest Asia Theater during the Persian Gulf War. The preponderance of evidence supports this finding.