The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety, as well as increased rating for the back disability and TDIU. The Veteran's claim is pending due to a lack of a statement of the case (SOC) for unprocessed NODs and the need to verify his in-service stressor involving ABF 2 Rodriguez.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there are outstanding issues from previous rating decisions that have not been addressed, including an increased rating claim for the back disability and TDIU. The Veteran's PTSD diagnosis is based on a verified stressor but needs to be corroborated as it involves observing the death of his friend while aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety, personality disorders, other mood disorders
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19100172
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19100172.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric condition, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted the claims for service connection for anxiety, depression, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), finding that new and relevant evidence supports these claims.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and anxiety, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service incurrence or onset of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, requiring an additional medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.
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