The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of proper notification and evidence regarding the appellant's helplessness status. The VA needs to provide clearer instructions on what evidence is required, obtain medical records from private providers, and verify the appellant’s educational history.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded due to insufficient communication between the Veteran's sister and the VA about what evidence is needed to substantiate the appellant's claim for benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- helpless child status
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2018
- Citation
- 18155569
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 18155569.
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 vacated the August 2019 decision denying DIC benefits as a helpless child of the Veteran due to improper listing and mailing of the appellant. The termination of DIC benefits effective February 1, 2017, was found proper because the appellant's marriage barred him from being recognized as a helpless child.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for survivor's pension as a helpless child due to lack of timely submission of an informal claim, and the denial was final.
- Dismissed
The Court vacated the September 2014 Board decision denying DIC benefits based on helpless child status and remanded the matter. The motion alleging CUE in this decision is dismissed as moot.
- Partly granted
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination of E.C. to determine his mental health status and whether he was capable of self-support prior to his eighteenth birthday.
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