The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in a previous VA medical opinion and the Veteran's disagreement. The Veteran is entitled to a new examination to determine if any acquired psychiatric disorder, including cannabis use disorder previously diagnosed as anxiety neurosis with paranoid features, had its onset in service or was caused by an in-service disease or injury.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA medical opinion lacked sufficient rationale and the Veteran disagreed. Therefore, a new examination is needed to determine the etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- cannabis use disorder, anxiety neurosis with paranoid features (previously diagnosed as depression)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2018
- Citation
- 18140960
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 18140960.
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 service connection for left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right knee strain, and left knee strain as secondary to lumbosacral strain. Service connection was also granted for cannabis use disorder as secondary to mental health conditions of PTSD, major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, and TBI. However, the Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and granted a separate disability rating of 40 percent for TBI.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including depression, alcohol use disorder, cocaine use disorder, and cannabis use disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, to include unspecified bipolar and related disorder with anxious distress, cannabis use disorder, and other hallucinogen use disorder, due to missing records and a need for additional evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for right eye diplopia and extraocular motility restriction, service connection for traumatic brain injury, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD. The claim for cannabis use disorder was remanded.
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