The veteran's service-connected generalized anxiety disorder with depressive features was found to have primarily manifested by subjective complaints of anxiousness and a depressed mood, without significant occupational or social impairment prior to March 6, 2000. For the period commencing March 6, 2000, the disability continued to be characterized by such symptoms as suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals, near-continuous panic or depression affecting ability to function independently, and unprovoked irritability with periods of violence.
The deciding factor: The veteran's psychiatric condition did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation due to the severity of his symptoms which were consistent with the current rating schedule prior to March 6, 2000. After that date, while he experienced more severe symptoms including suicidal ideation and periods of violence, these were still within the scope of the existing ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder with Depressive Features
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2006
- Citation
- 0607212
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,175 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0607212.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a 100 percent disability rating for generalized anxiety disorder with depressive features, effective October 6, 2023.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his cognitive impairment, which was part of his service-connected mental health disability, contributed to his fatal ingestion of battery fluid.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder with Depressive Features, finding no clear and unmistakable error in the May 1993 and August 1993 rating decisions.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for anxiety disorder was granted, but with a limitation to the period prior to June 21, 2023. The Board found that his symptoms more closely approximated a 70 percent disability rating at all times on appeal.,The issue of entitlement to an increased rating for low back disability remains pending and is remanded.
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