The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate addendum opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and unspecified mood disorder. Additional development is needed, including obtaining private treatment records and preparing an addendum opinion by a VA examiner.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous opinions were inadequate as they did not address whether the Veteran's other psychiatric diagnoses are related to service or any specific exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, unspecified mood disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19104217
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left hip degenerative arthritis as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle and knee conditions, and major depressive disorder as secondary to his service-connected knee and ankle conditions. The Board also granted a 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 12, 2023, for a 50 percent evaluation of bipolar disorder and remanded the other issues for further development.
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