The Board found that the appellant's psychiatric impairment, characterized by symptoms involving sleep impairment, panic attacks more than once a week, disturbances of mood and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, but without evidence of obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities, intermittent illogical, obscure or irrelevant speech, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene or difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting), approximates the criteria for a 50 percent disability rating. The appeal was denied as the appellant's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The deciding factor: The appellant's psychiatric impairment, characterized by symptoms involving sleep impairment, panic attacks more than once a week, disturbances of mood and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, but without evidence of obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities, intermittent illogical, obscure or irrelevant speech, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene or difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting), approximates the criteria for a 50 percent disability rating. The appellant's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

Claimed conditions

depression with dysthymia, panic disorder with agoraphobia

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

50%

Decision date

March 10, 2003

Citation

0304287

This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0304287.