The Board has remanded the case for a new VA psychiatric examination to address the Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD and depression. The examiner is instructed to accept the Veteran's presence at the DMZ as fact, consider contradictory statements regarding stressors, and provide an opinion on whether any diagnosed conditions are related to service or service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a remand was necessary due to the inconsistency in the Veteran's statements about his exposure to Agent Orange and the presence at the DMZ during service. The examiner must accept these facts for the examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, not otherwise specified (NOS)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2014
- Citation
- 1412336
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 1412336.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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