The Veteran's anxiety disorder, secondary to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), was granted service connection and assigned a 30 percent evaluation effective April 28, 2010. The current claim is for an increased rating.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations indicated that the Veteran's anxiety disorder has manifested as occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with normal routine behavior, self-care, and conversation), due to symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss, flattened affect, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, irritability, poor concentration, avoidance, isolation, and GAF scores of 65 and 70.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety Disorder, NOS
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- February 4, 2014
- Citation
- 1404960
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 1404960.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The January 2011 rating decision is revised to reflect an effective date of January 17, 1972 for the award of service connection for anxiety disorder, NOS. The appeal is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD rating is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination and the need for a new one with a qualified clinician who has not previously examined him.
- Remanded (sent back)
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of any psychiatric disorder, specifically using the DSM-5. Pension benefits are denied as the Veteran is not permanently and totally disabled from nonservice-connected disabilities.
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