The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing a new VA opinion on whether the Veteran's substance abuse disorder is proximately due to or caused by her service-connected depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The decision was not explicitly stated but implied in the need for further evidence and an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Disorder NOS, Substance Abuse Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2016
- Citation
- 1621490
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 1621490.
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 Board granted a 100 percent rating for the Veteran's psychiatric disability, effective November 15, 2023, due to total occupational and social impairment.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for restoration of a 100 percent rating for PTSD and substance abuse disorder, effective July 1, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of the previously denied claim for service connection for PTSD and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression, but denied a compensable disability rating for left ring finger ankylosis at proximal interphalangeal joint. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for new medical opinions regarding his stroke, eye disorders, and peripheral nerve conditions. The hypertension claim is no longer part of this appeal.
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