The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for anxiety disorder prior to May 20, 2009. The Veteran's anxiety disorder was found to have been manifested by symptoms such as anxiety, difficulty with focus, GAF scores of 65, suspiciousness, panic attacks, sleep impairment, and memory loss, which did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran's anxiety disorder did not result in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity as required for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 9413.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis, Gout
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- October 25, 2013
- Citation
- 1333891
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 1333891.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings and effective dates related to CVA, obstructive sleep apnea, major depressive disorder, and gout have been dismissed.,The Veteran withdrew his claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a CVA with residuals, an effective date prior to January 14, 2011, for CVA, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea, and an effective date prior to November 7, 2014, for obstructive sleep apnea.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error in previous examinations, requiring additional information on right shoulder ROM measurements without medication effects.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a medical examination for his sleep apnea claim. The right knee disability rating issue remains denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's disability ratings for low back disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy have been reduced from 40% and 10%, respectively, to 20% and 0%. The reduction was based on improvements shown in recent VA examinations.
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