The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, and TDIU due to in-service stressor allegations. The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any psychiatric complaints or diagnoses, but there are references to 'fear of unsubstantiated medical condition.' A VA examination is needed to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed acquired psychiatric disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a VA examination was necessary due to conflicting opinions on whether the Veteran's in-service stressor met the criteria for PTSD, despite evidence suggesting such an incident occurred.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major depressive disorder, Chronic adjustment disorder, Generalized anxiety disorder, Panic disorder, Mood disorder (not otherwise specified), Anxiety disorder (not otherwise specified)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19123059
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19123059.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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