Anxiety Board decisions

The Board denied DIC benefits for the Appellant as she was not permanently incapable of self-support prior to her 18th birthday, based on lack of evidence in the claims file demonstrating incapacity before December 1986.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's in-service events and a need for further development of his acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, as well as chronic obstructive sleep apnea, has been granted. The appeals for increased evaluations of the low back disability and radiculopathy of the legs, as well as for right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities have been remanded due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection was dismissed due to his death, and no eligible parties have submitted requests for substitution within the subsequent one-year period.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to unclear diagnoses and potential misclassification of periods of reserve service. Additional development is needed, including verification of all periods of service, examination of the Veteran, and clarification on the etiology of his psychiatric conditions.

The Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the Veteran’s claims on this current appeal. The issues of service connection for residuals of head trauma, neck condition, nerve damage to the neck, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to incomplete records, including a lack of National Guard personnel records from 1985. The Veteran's psychiatric disabilities are being evaluated again with a new examiner.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder, is rated at 70 percent for the period from August 10, 2019.

The Board has granted service connection for a panic disorder with major depressive disorder and remanded the issue of rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's neurobehavioral effects, including twitching, skin crawling, jerking, anxiety attacks, headaches, depression, and nervous condition are being remanded for further examination and opinion as the current VA opinions do not address his in-service symptoms or causation.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating and earlier effective date for service connection of Generalized Anxiety Disorder was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an earlier effective date than May 9, 2011, when the Veteran filed his request to reopen his previously denied claims. The current 70 percent disability rating is upheld.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed as the condition is subsumed in the 100 percent schedular rating for Meniere’s Disease.,For the period prior to June 17, 2019, the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder resulted in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks. However, these symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher than 30 percent rating.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the previously denied claims for service connection for skin disability and acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD and anxiety) is granted. The claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for residuals of prostate cancer is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings of facial and posterior scalp scars, painful scars on the posterior scalp, and PTSD with depression and anxiety have been denied. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions warrant a rating higher than the currently assigned 70 percent.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities because additional development is needed. The Veteran was previously granted service connection for depressive disorder with anxiety disorder, but his TDIU application remains pending as he did not submit the required VA Form 21-8940.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, anxiety and depression due to a lack of SPRs and inadequate VA medical opinions. The case is being returned for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically anxiety and depression. The claim will be reconsidered with a new examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired mental disorder and for an increased rating for epididymitis, left testicle. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions had onset during active service or were otherwise causally connected to active service.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder with anxiety is currently rated at 70 percent, but the symptoms do not more closely approximate total occupational and social impairment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an additional acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of such a condition and concluding that any symptoms are related to his already service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder.