The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a liver disability and an acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder) due to conflicting medical opinions and the need for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the issues are inextricably intertwined, as the psychiatric disorder claim must be decided before the liver disorder claim can be finally adjudicated.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver disability, Acquired psychiatric disability (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2018
- Citation
- 18143963
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 18143963.
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 Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including sinusitis, lung disability, liver disability, kidney disability, sleep apnea, shoulder disabilities, peripheral neuropathy of the extremities, and flatfoot, as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a liver disability due to the lack of evidence showing a current liver disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, alcohol abuse, a liver disability, and hand and eye disabilities, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or secondary to any service-connected condition.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for liver and kidney disabilities but granted a 70 percent rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder prior to February 3, 2017, a 50 percent rating for a back disability, and a 20 percent rating for left sciatic radiculopathy from July 22, 2008.
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