The Board remands the claims for an earlier effective date and a higher rating for the Veteran's service-connected unspecified anxiety disorder with panic attacks due to an error in satisfying a regulatory duty related to scheduling an informal conference.
The deciding factor: Remand is required because there was no evidence that VA made reasonable efforts to contact the Veteran to schedule the informal conference he requested, which would have had a reasonable possibility of aiding in substantiating his claim.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified anxiety disorder with panic attacks
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25094601
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (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 A25094601.
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.
- Granted
The Board has restored a 70 percent rating for unspecified anxiety disorder with panic attacks, effective October 1, 2021, as the evidence did not show material improvement under ordinary conditions of life.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, as he has completed high school and one year of college, worked for over twenty years in the same position without any problems, and is retired. Therefore, TDIU is denied.
- Granted
The Board granted an increased rating of 70 percent for major depressive disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder with panic attacks, effective June 27, 2024.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for his acquired psychiatric disorder and entitlement to a TDIU due to worsening symptoms. The Veteran was previously granted service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder with panic attacks, insomnia disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder, but he now contends that his disability has worsened.
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