The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety, depression, dementia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and personality disorder, is being remanded due to insufficient medical evidence. The case will be reviewed again with a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to review either the Veteran's service treatment records or the private medical records contained in the claims file when rendering an opinion on the issue of service connection for PTSD, which was previously denied. The examiner also did not address whether any other anxiety disorder exists and if so, whether it had its onset during service or is related to his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety disorder, depression, dementia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, personality disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2009
- Citation
- 0948210
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 0948210.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
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