The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to October 5, 2015, for a grant of service connection and assignment of a 50 percent evaluation for major depressive disorder, recurrent with alcohol use disorder in sustained full remission (claimed as posttraumatic stress disorder), and for entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for the same condition. The Veteran's claim for TDIU is also being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there were duty-to-assist errors related to obtaining medical records, reviewing earlier nonfinal claims, and providing information on how to apply for TDIU.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2019
- Citation
- A19000841
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 A19000841.
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.
- Dismissed
The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for major depressive disorder is dismissed as moot because the earliest effective date was granted during the pendency of this appeal.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a liver condition, finding it to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claims for service connection for various acquired psychiatric disorders.
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