The Board has granted service connection for anxiety disorder, finding the evidence to be in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's military service caused his anxiety disorder. The claims of service connection for brain cancer and right neck cancer due to herbicide agent exposure are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The July 2015 VA examination report reflects mental disorder diagnoses of unspecified anxiety disorder, alcohol use, cannabis use, and a mild unspecified neurocognitive disorder. The examiner opined it impossible to attribute the Veteran's individual symptoms to specific diagnoses but could make a nexus to treatment of his veteran cohort by civilians when he returned.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety disorder, brain cancer, right neck cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2018
- Citation
- 1828753
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 1828753.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The Board found the VA audiological examination inadequate for adjudicative purposes and remanded for an adequate VA audiological examination to determine if the Veteran has bilateral hearing loss. Service connection for PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depression is also remanded as there are insufficient competent medical evidence on file.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, specifically anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, which is found to be due to military sexual trauma experienced during service. The decision also notes that the Veteran's reports of in-service personal assault are credible and supported by medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, anxiety disorder, back disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, and right knee disability. The claim for service connection for residuals of a concussion is remanded.
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