The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from the March 2011 VA examiner regarding service connection and aggravation of his psychiatric disorders by his service-connected diabetes and bilateral peripheral neuropathy. Additionally, a new VA examination will be scheduled to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim requires additional development as there are conflicting opinions on whether his acquired psychiatric disorder is related to his service-connected conditions and if so, whether it is aggravated by them. The Veteran also contends that he has a more severe disability rating for his bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2014
- Citation
- 1424599
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 1424599.
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 specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- 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 decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, should be remanded due to a failure to verify a stressor related to the death of his two best friends in Iraq. The AOJ needs to develop this stressor.
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