The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his Eustachian tube dysfunction. The initial rating claim for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress remains denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating under any applicable diagnostic code, including due to lack of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.
- Claimed conditions
- persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress, Eustachian tube dysfunction (previously right ear otitis media with myringotomy)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19101913
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple musculoskeletal conditions and a psychiatric condition, all of which were determined to be caused by an in-service injury.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an increased rating for persistent depressive disorder was dismissed due to a procedural defect involving concurrent election of review options.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantial, gainful employment, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) is granted.
- Dismissed
The appeal regarding the proposed reduction in evaluation of persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress is dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction.
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