The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as anxiety disorder, is granted. The claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, to include upper respiratory infection, sinusitis and/or bronchitis (upper respiratory disorder), is reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. Secondary service connection claims for hypertension, vertigo, and GERD are also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's anxiety disorder was found related to his military service, leading to a grant of service connection. The reopening of the claim for respiratory disorders is based on the submission of new and material evidence since the last denial in May 1971.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (Anxiety Disorder), Upper Respiratory Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19114524
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,612 · Granted: 16% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19114524.
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 Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically anxiety disorder, is granted an initial rating of 50 percent prior to March 12, 2020. A higher rating in excess of 50 percent for the period beginning March 12, 2020, is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were withdrawn. The Veteran was granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his pain medication for service-connected conditions, and a 50 percent rating was granted for his acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and an upper respiratory disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including right hip, left knee, and right ear disorders (other than hearing loss or tinnitus), as well as sinusitis and an upper respiratory disorder. The Veteran's symptoms have been attributed to his already service-connected allergic rhinitis.
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