The Veteran's claim for service connection for generalized anxiety, including panic disorder and simple phobia, is being remanded due to the lack of available service treatment records from her deployment in Pakistan. The Board finds a VA examination necessary to determine if these conditions are related to her military service.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records from the Veteran's deployment in Pakistan are unavailable, requiring further investigation and potential medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- generalized anxiety, panic disorder, simple phobia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19104101
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for panic disorder, OSA, and hypertension as secondary to a service-connected condition. The claim for diabetes mellitus was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial disability rating greater than 30 percent for service-connected psychiatric disabilities prior to November 1, 2023, as the AOJ has not adjudicated the Veteran's September 2023 supplemental claim in the first instance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining outstanding private medical records.
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