The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and a supplemental opinion regarding service connection for depressive disorder, as well as for higher ratings for his lumbar spine disability and left lateral epicondylitis.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that there are insufficient opinions in the record regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating. Additional examination is needed to provide a more definitive opinion on these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine, left lateral epicondylitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2018
- Citation
- 1801556
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 1801556.
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 disability rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as depressive disorder, effective May 1, 2017.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased rating for depressive disorder and remanded the claims for a higher rating for headache syndrome and TDIU.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, degenerative arthritis, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension was dismissed due to non-compliance with claims processing rules.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for further development, including verification of an in-service stressor and obtaining additional medical opinions.
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