Anxiety Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death. The appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is denied.

The veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder did not cause or contribute to his death. The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1310 is denied because the veteran had a 100% disability rating at the time of his death, but no pending claims were found. Accrued benefits are also denied as there was no outstanding claim.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that tinnitus and psychiatric disorders were attributable to service. However, the medications prescribed for these conditions did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.,The claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was also denied as there was no evidence showing that VA medical treatment with Xanax contributed to the veteran's death.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD with anxiety and depression. The veteran's current diagnoses of a stomach disorder and migraine and cluster headaches are related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral lung condition, depression, anxiety disorder, headaches secondary to sinusitis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The evidence did not support a current diagnosis of any of these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's dysthymic disorder, unrelated to his military service, was not incurred during or as a result of his active duty. Service connection for PTSD and anxiety disorders is denied.

The veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is rated at 50% since July 20, 2006. His neuropathy of the left leg was initially rated at 10%, but now rated at 20%. Both conditions are currently granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have any of the claimed conditions until many decades after service, and thus cannot be presumed to have been incurred in or aggravated by service. The appellant's verified service with the recognized guerrillas is also not considered qualifying active military service for VA pension purposes.

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension on account of the need for aid and attendance or being permanently housebound was denied as he does not meet the criteria for either benefit.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and anxiety. The claim is granted.

The Board has dismissed the claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for bilateral hearing loss. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for anxiety disorder is remanded to the RO.

The Board granted a 50 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, effective as of July 13, 2005. The previous rating was 30 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the extent of service-connected disorders in the years preceding the veteran's death, and for consideration of additional information submitted by the appellant.

The veteran's service-connected generalized anxiety disorder results in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board finds that there was no unadjudicated informal claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) raised by the September 1973 VA examination reports. The veteran's claim was addressed in the context of an increased rating claim, and the RO considered the evidence to include the social work service report and VA treatment records.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD, finding that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the April 1996 rating decision denying service connection. The effective date remains February 20, 2002.

The veteran's claim for an extension of the temporary total disability rating beyond February 29, 2004 was denied as there is no provision in the regulations allowing such a period beyond one year following treatment.,The veteran's claim for increased evaluation for residuals of right TKA was also denied as his condition had improved and did not require convalescence beyond the initial one-year period.

The veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his medical records.

The Board found that the veteran did not have an innocently acquired psychiatric disability to include any manifested by PTSD due to service. The stressors claimed were not verified, and there was no evidence of combat participation.

The Board denied the veteran's earlier claim for a TDIU in January 1991. The evidence of record prior to March 25, 1991, did not show that the veteran was precluded from all forms of gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities.