The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, increased ratings for various knee and ankle disabilities, a compensable rating for bilateral pes planus, and an increased rating in excess of 30 percent for hypothyroidism. The claims are being remanded to allow for further development including VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim requires additional development due to the need for proper medical opinions regarding his psychiatric disorder, knee, ankle, and pes planus disabilities, as well as an increased rating for his hypothyroidism.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Bilateral knee disorders (right and left), Bilateral ankle disorders (right and left), Thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, Right shoulder bursitis, Hypothyroidism
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2018
- Citation
- 18155954
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 18155954.
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 the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether injuries sustained in a November 2001 incident were in the line of duty. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded due to its interdependence with the line of duty issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain private treatment records from the Veteran's treating clinician.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of August 13, 2018, for the award of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted. The Veteran also meets the schedular criteria for entitlement to TDIU prior to June 1, 2023.
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