The Veteran's claim for PTSD is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and addendum opinion.,The Veteran's claim for Parkinson's disease is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and review of private treatment records.,The Veteran's claim for COPD is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for extreme joint pain is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for skin disorder, to include malignant melanomas, is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and review of private treatment records.,The Veteran's claim for rectal impact surgery as secondary to service-connected organic aphonia is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: VA has not provided sufficient evidence regarding the Veteran’s PTSD diagnosis in accordance with DSM-5 criteria and needs further examination.,The Veteran's private treatment records are needed to determine if he has a current diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, as his VA records indicate only mild tremors.,The Veteran needs an additional VA examination to assess whether his COPD is related to service exposure in Thailand.,The Veteran needs an additional VA examination to evaluate the impact of his joint pain on his daily life and determine if it constitutes a disability.,The Veteran needs an additional VA examination to determine if his skin disorder, including malignant melanomas, are related to service exposure to chemicals.,An addendum opinion is needed from the March 2013 examiner to address whether the Veteran's rectal impact surgery was directly caused by his stroke.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Parkinson's disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Extreme joint pain, Skin disorder, to include malignant melanomas, Rectal impact surgery
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2018
- Citation
- 18106633
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 18106633.
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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