The Board has ordered additional development to address the appellant's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including anxiety and PTSD. The VA examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether any current psychiatric disability clearly and unmistakably pre-existed service and was not aggravated by active service beyond the normal progression of the disease, as well as whether at any point since April 2008, it is at least as likely as not that the appellant has had depression, anxiety disorder, dysthymia, and an adjustment disorder, and whether such disability is due to or the result of the appellant's active military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner must provide a clear opinion on the etiology of the psychiatric disorders based on full consideration of the appellant's documented history and assertions, including his reported in-service stressors and continuity of symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2017
- Citation
- 1712909
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 1712909.
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
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