The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU due to inadequate medical opinions in his May 2010 VA examination. The case is being returned to obtain clarification from the examiner regarding the Veteran's psychiatric history.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on an inadequate medical opinion provided by a VA examiner, which did not account for critical information in the claims folder and failed to provide a rationale for its findings.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, not otherwise specified
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2010
- Citation
- 1045817
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 1045817.
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 Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating greater than 30 percent for her psychiatric disability prior to March 5, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, not otherwise specified, and his obstructive sleep apnea. The examiner is required to address whether obesity, which may be an intermediary factor, was a substantial factor in causing or aggravating the Veteran's OSA.
- Granted
The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to be caused by his service-connected PTSD, with obesity being an intermediate step in the multi-causal chain. As a result, the Board grants service connection for sleep apnea on a secondary basis.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder is rated as 70 percent disabling throughout the period on appeal. The Board has granted a disability rating of 100 percent for total occupational and social impairment caused by the Veteran's depressive disorder.
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