The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and clarifying whether the Veteran has filed a claim for Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits. The issues of an increased rating for PTSD with polysubstance abuse and TDIU are also being considered.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need to obtain additional medical evidence and clarify the Veteran's claims status regarding SSA disability benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with polysubstance abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18117502
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 18117502.
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 PTSD with polysubstance abuse is rated at 50 percent throughout the appeal period, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD with polysubstance abuse is rated at 100 percent, the maximum rating. The Board also dismissed the claim for TDIU as moot due to the already assigned 100 percent disability rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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