The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a back disability, an acquired psychiatric disability, drug and alcohol abuse as secondary to an acquired psychiatric disability, and total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The issues are inextricably intertwined with each other.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's claims were not properly adjudicated due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of his psychiatric conditions and drug and alcohol abuse, as well as a remand on the TDIU claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disability, Acquired psychiatric disability (including unspecified depressive disorder and bipolar disorder with current depressed episode)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 5, 2018
- Citation
- 18140709
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 18140709.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy but remanded the back disability claim for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, headaches, a back disability, heart disability, and residuals of a stroke, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service or caused by his service-connected left ear disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for the right ankle disability, but remanded claims for service connection for sinusitis and back disability.
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