Anxiety Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further medical opinions. The Veteran's sleep apnea may be related to his exposure to herbicide agents, but a VA examiner will need to determine if it is aggravated by his prostate cancer or psychiatric disorders.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for PTSD, anxiety and depression, and TBI due to incomplete records. The Veteran's service treatment records and VA treatment records need to be obtained to determine if he sustained an in-service head injury that could lead to a current TBI.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is dismissed. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, is granted. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for mechanical low back pain and post-operative left anterior cruciate ligament repair are remanded.

The Veteran's fatty liver disease is granted a 10% rating from October 22, 2014. The anxiety disorder is granted a 50% rating from October 22, 2014 to July 5, 2017 and a 70% rating from July 5, 2017 to April 1, 2019. The Veteran's atrial fibrillation and carpal tunnel syndromes are granted initial ratings of 10%.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of February 20, 2013 for the Veteran's total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected anxiety disorder and syncope. The decision is based on evidence showing that the Veteran was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as early as when he filed his initial claims in February 20, 2013.

The Veteran's claim of a 70 percent rating for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood is granted, effective July 3, 2019. The claims for service connection for pineal cyst of the brain, multiple sclerosis, nystagmus, sleep apnea, and hypertension are denied.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety disorder, unspecified (claimed as PTSD), and bilateral hearing loss must be remanded due to missing service treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's PTSD diagnosis and unverified in-service stressors. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to determine if they have any current psychiatric disorders, including PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is aggravated by his service-connected Adjustment Disorder with Depression and Anxiety.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, as there is no evidence to support these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a diagnosis of PTSD due to service and therefore, cannot establish service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development, including a lack of an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's current symptomatology and whether his psychiatric disorders are related to service. The VA must provide an addendum medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher initial rating for TBI and anxiety disorder, NOS, and entitlement to a total rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) due to incomplete development of evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for PTSD was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claim.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease and disc disease of the neck / cervical spine, anxiety disorder, cephalgia, bilateral hearing loss, heart disability, pulmonary disability, and stroke pathology/_residuals were granted.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied, and her claim for service connection for psychiatric disability (including depression and anxiety) is remanded for further review.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric conditions. The claim will be returned for further development and consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorders, including adjustment disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorder, are at least as likely as not related to service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically anxiety disorder, is granted a 70 percent rating. The issue of entitlement to total disability for individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) is remanded.

The Board has remanded several claims for service connection due to the Veteran's previous denial of these conditions in 2014 and 2016. The new claim is considered a reopening of those prior determinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for anxiety and depression, as well as his claims for PTSD and residuals of extracted teeth. The evidence did not establish new and material evidence to support these claims.