The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the Board not adequately discussing evidence relevant to his claim for a higher rating under the 'totality of the circumstances' analysis, and did not make a credibility determination or address the applicability of staged ratings. The case should be readjudicated including consideration of whether staged ratings are appropriate at any point during the appeal period.
The deciding factor: The Board failed to adequately discuss evidence relevant to the Veteran's claim for a higher rating under the 'totality of the circumstances' analysis and did not make a credibility determination or address the applicability of staged ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- posttraumatic stress disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2009
- Citation
- 0948690
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 0948690.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer but remanded the claim for PTSD due to insufficient verification of stressor incidents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found the eligibility determination for PCAFC enrollment to be legally inadequate and remanded for a new medical opinion that adequately addresses the criteria for eligibility as set forth in VA regulations.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes type II as secondary to a service-connected disability and an initial 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder, subject to the regulations governing the award of monetary benefits.
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