The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA autopsy report and opinions from an appropriate physician regarding whether service-connected disability caused or contributed to the veteran's death. The claim for service connection for cause of death is also being reviewed.
The deciding factor: The claims file needs to be reviewed for any missing VA autopsy reports and for additional medical opinions on the issue of causation.
- Claimed conditions
- schizophrenic reaction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 30, 2004
- Citation
- 0417485
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,613 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0417485.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, which was related to his schizophrenia that began during service. The Board found that this disability substantially contributed to the Veteran's untimely death by suicide.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board found that the May 1988 rating decision incorrectly applied presumptive service connection for a psychotic disorder, leading to a grant of service connection for schizophrenic reaction.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of VA examination in connection with the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his eligibility for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation grant.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a rating higher than 50 percent for service-connected schizophrenic reaction, entitlement to SMC based on a need for aid and attendance, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The remand is necessary to obtain retrospective VA medical opinions regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected schizophrenia from March 2000 until his death in November 2009.
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