Anxiety Board decisions

The Veteran's PTSD was found to be incurred during service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The Board also notes the presence of major depression and anxiety disorder but finds insufficient evidence to establish a direct link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated treatment records from his doctor and a VA audiological examination to determine the etiology of his hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status.

The Veteran's service-connected panic disorder without agoraphobia has been rated at 50 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the current evidence of record.

The Veteran's claims for head injury, syncopal episodes (claimed as seizures), and lumbar spine disorder are denied. The Board found no evidence of a head injury or syncopal episodes attributable to service. A lumbar spine disorder was not shown in service or within one year after separation.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the Veteran's psychiatric conditions, including PTSD and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression, are related to service. The RO must attempt to corroborate the Veteran's reported stressors involving a SCUD missile attack and the death of First Sergeant M.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim and found that new evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD, which is related to his in-service stressors. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, is now considered service-connected.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including arthritis in both hands and numbness of the bilateral arms and hands, were denied as there is no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and active duty service. The Board found that any current disorders are not related to service or to any service-connected disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Florida Hospital in Lake Placid, Florida, on September 3, 2004 is granted because the treatment was for a serious condition that required immediate attention and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Board found that the Veteran's depression and anxiety did not manifest in service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the January 1949 rating decision that reduced the ratings for service-connected psychiatric disability, changed the name of the respiratory disability, and increased the rating for a left chest disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, were not incurred in or aggravated by service. Personality disorder was also ruled out as a disability for VA compensation purposes.

The Veteran's claim for a reduction of his rating from 30 percent to non-compensable was found to contain clear and unmistakable error (CUE). As a result, the original 30 percent rating is restored. The Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for the 10 percent evaluation remains dismissed as moot due to the restoration of the 30 percent rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder did not cause or contribute to his death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Veteran's service-connected generalized anxiety disorder is rated at 70 percent, and his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to this condition has been granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, are related to service. This includes obtaining a VA examination and seeking additional records from SSA.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder causes occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a higher 50 percent rating.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for anxiety disorder (also claimed as associated with Agent Orange exposure). As such, the October 1996 denial of this claim remains final.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was denied as there is no diagnosis of PTSD that conforms with the DSM-IV criteria. The Veteran does not have a diagnosed condition that meets the requirements for service connection.