The Board has determined that a VA medical opinion is needed to assess whether the appellant was insane at the time he committed offenses leading up to his other-than-honorable discharge. The case will be remanded for this purpose.
The deciding factor: A VA medical opinion is required to determine if the appellant's psychiatric symptoms began during service and if he was insane at that time, as defined under VA law.
- Claimed conditions
- schizoaffective disorder, depressive type
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2017
- Citation
- 1709368
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 1709368.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain any pertinent, outstanding VA treatment records, including those from the Veteran's admission to the Augusta VAMC on March 5, 1991, for alcohol dependency.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for schizoaffective disorder, depressive type and right knee strain based on evidence supporting the Veteran's claims.
- Granted
The Board granted the restoration of a 100 percent disability rating for schizoaffective disorder, depressive type, as the evidence did not support a finding of sustained material improvement under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Granted
The Board granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to the Veteran's service-connected schizoaffective disorder, depressive type.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.