The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA mental disorders examination to determine the nature and onset of the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, particularly whether any symptoms were manifested during service or within one year after separation.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the June 2007 decision was inadequate due to an insufficient rationale for the examiner's determination regarding the onset of bipolar disorder during service. The Board must therefore schedule a VA mental disorders examination to determine this issue and provide a medical opinion on whether any currently demonstrated psychiatric disorder is related to service-connected right ear deafness.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired psychiatric disorder, to include bipolar disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2010
- Citation
- 1000812
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 1000812.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder to correct a duty to assist error, requiring further examination and review of private treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as it is unclear whether the Veteran's claimed conditions are due to any incident of his period of active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the Veteran's award of service-connected compensation for headaches and remanded claims for increased rating, service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, right shoulder disability, and acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including herniation and bulging disk L4 through S1, knee pain with osteoarthritis, an acquired psychiatric disorder, cubital tunnel syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, and neuropathy. However, the Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for chronic headaches.
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