The Board has determined that a remand is necessary for further examination and analysis regarding the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychological disorder (including PTSD and major depressive disorder) and hypertensive vascular disease. The Veteran was provided with two VA examinations which concluded he did not have a DSM diagnosis of PTSD, but a private psychologist opined that he meets criteria for PTSD due to his time served in Southwest Asia where he was exposed to actual or threatened death or injury. For the hypertension claim, the Board finds that a remand is necessary as there are insufficient records to make a decision.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims of service connection require further examination and analysis given conflicting medical opinions regarding PTSD and the need for additional evidence on hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD and depression, Hypertensive vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19106884
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,549 · Granted: 26% (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 19106884.
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 appeal for service connection for hypertensive vascular disease is dismissed.,The appeals for service connection for impairment of the lower leg, tibia and fibula (right shin splint) and left shin splint are dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing due to his permanent and total service-connected disability affecting both lower extremities, which precludes locomotion without the aid of assistive devices.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for GERD, COPD, and hypertensive vascular disease due to insufficient efforts in verifying his reported service in Thailand, Camp Lejeune, and Guam. Additional development is needed to confirm these service locations and address exposure claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to provide the Veteran with needed VA examinations and address concerns raised by the Court decision regarding his claims for service connection.
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