The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address his claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The VA will obtain SSA disability records and any relevant VA treatment records from the Loma Linda and Richmond VA healthcare systems.
The deciding factor: The Board has determined that substantial compliance with its previous May 2012 remand instructions is not met due to lack of development in several areas, including corroborating stressors, scheduling a VA mental health examination, and readjudicating the claim. The Veteran's PTSD issue on appeal is being REMANDED for these purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, Mental disorder NOS, Mood disorder, Adjustment disorder, Personality change, Rule out Bipolar disorder, Rule out Psychosis NOS, Rule out Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Rule out Anxiety NOS, Mood disorder secondary to traumatic brain injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2016
- Citation
- 1620551
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 1620551.
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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