The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for torqued sacrum associated with osteoarthritis of lumbar spine and hammertoes. The effective date claim for major depressive disorder remains denied.
The deciding factor: The effective date for the grant of service connection for major depressive disorder is not earlier than April 15, 2002 as claimed by the Veteran due to lack of a prior claim filed before that date.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, torqued sacrum associated with osteoarthritis of lumbar spine with coccygeus-sacral muscle spasm, hammertoes, familial hypertriglyceridemia, chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2018
- Citation
- 18122696
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 18122696.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
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