The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 19, 2020 for service connection of an unspecified anxiety disorder as it was not factually ascertainable that he had such a condition prior to this date.
The deciding factor: The earliest medical evidence of an acquired psychiatric disorder following separation from service is found in the November 2020 VA examination report, which indicated that the Veteran's anxiety is related to his service-connected hearing loss. The Board determined that it was not factually ascertainable that he had an acquired psychiatric disorder prior to June 19, 2020.
- Claimed conditions
- an unspecified anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2021
- Citation
- A21019913
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 A21019913.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disability and a TDIU due solely to service-connected acquired psychiatric disability are being remanded because the VA did not provide him with a new VA examination, which is a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected acquired psychiatric disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically unspecified anxiety disorder. The evidence is at least evenly balanced that this condition began during active service and is related to in-service events.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disability was dismissed because the Veteran withdrew their request before the Board made a decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not rated higher than noncompensable (0 percent).,Service connection for tinnitus has been granted.,Service connection for lumbar spine pain, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left knee pain, and right knee pain have all been granted.,Service connection for an unspecified anxiety disorder has been granted.,The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine condition is the primary cause of his bilateral knee and shoulder pain.
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