Anxiety Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks, insomnia disorder and persistent depressive disorder. The decision is based on evidence showing that the weight gain and obesity resulting from the service-connected mental health conditions are substantial factors in causing the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea.

Your initial evaluations for anxiety disorder and depressive disorder have been granted at a 70 percent rating, effective December 19, 2013. Your TDIU rating prior to that date has also been granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, anxiety and panic attacks are reopened. The claim for headaches is denied. The Board has ordered a remand to determine the current nature and etiology of his psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is currently rated at 50 percent from April 2, 2012 to December 10, 2019 and denied for a rating in excess of 70 percent since December 10, 2019.

The Board has remanded the claims for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for unspecified anxiety disorder and entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. A new VA examination is needed to assess the severity of the Veteran's psychiatric condition, including its impact on his employment.

The Board denied service connection for lower back disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety), high blood pressure, heart disability, and poor blood circulation. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of a current disability related to active service.,There is no medical opinion linking any of the conditions to service.

An effective date of January 23, 2015 for the grant of service connection for right upper extremity radiculopathy is granted.,Effective dates earlier than June 27, 2016 are denied for the grants of service connection for tension headaches, TBI, tinnitus, mixed anxiety depressive disorder, left upper extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, and thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease.,The Veteran's December 31, 2015 claim referenced neurological damage which should have been recognized as claims including TBI and the nerve damage in his bilateral shoulders. However, no head injury nor left shoulder neurological damage was mentioned.

The Board has determined that additional efforts should be made to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and whether they are related to his in-service stressor.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected right-hand burn residuals, as well as their impact on his occupational and daily functioning. The claims are not about service connection but rather about rating determinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of TBI, initial compensable evaluation for anxiety disorder prior to March 2, 2011, and an evaluation of 30 percent for anxiety disorder beginning March 2, 2011 are denied. The claim for a higher initial evaluation for lumbosacral strain is also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and has remanded the remaining issues due to a need for further examination and development.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and need for additional information regarding military sexual trauma.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, right hip synovitis, meralgia paresthetica of the lower extremities, degenerative arthritis with spondylosis of the lumbar spine, and chronic headaches have been granted. The claim for service connection for hearing loss has been denied. The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, alcohol use disorder, and major depression have been denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, thus granting his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a rating greater than 30 percent prior to April 23, 2018 and to a rating greater than 50 percent thereafter for non-specified anxiety disorder due to new evidence indicating worsening symptoms since the last examination in April 2015. The Veteran is also remanded for a TDIU claim as his employment has been impacted by service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied service connection for PTSD and Anxiety Disorder as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions. The Veteran's in-service symptoms were not diagnosed or treated, and the evidence does not support a finding that he currently suffers from either condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability is granted, and the appeal is granted to that extent only. The Board finds new and material evidence has been received regarding his anxiety disorder and remands the case for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of acquired psychiatric disorders, athlete's foot, appendectomy scar, and sialadenitis were all denied. The Veteran was granted initial compensable ratings (10%) for athlete's foot, appendectomy scar, and sialadenitis. His claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee residuals of lateral meniscectomy is being remanded.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disability, bilateral hearing loss, arthritis due to trauma with joint pain, left shoulder disability, right elbow disability, left elbow disability, right wrist disability, left wrist disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability are all granted. The service connection is determined to be direct.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The examiner is requested to determine if the Veteran's mental disorders are related to his military service and specifically whether he has PTSD based on a verified stressor of being in a snowstorm for three days.