The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's anxiety disorder is secondary to his service-connected tinnitus, and thus grants service connection for an anxiety disorder.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions are divided on whether the Veteran's anxiety disorder is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus. The Board has found that the evidence supports a finding of at least equipoise in favor of the Veteran's claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2015
- Citation
- 1543548
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 1543548.
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.
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The Veteran's initial ratings for anxiety disorder and TBI were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied eligibility to attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a March 2024 rating decision because the March 2024 rating decision was an initial decision granting service connection for anxiety disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, and service connection for IBS as secondary to anxiety disorder is granted. Service connection for non-Hodgkin lymphoma is denied due to lack of presumptive basis. Service connection for CHF with bradycardia and pacemaker as secondary to hypertension is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected major depression and anxiety disorder are considered part of his service-connected peripheral neuropathy, which already qualifies him for SMC(l). Therefore, he is not eligible for a higher rate of SMC.
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