The Board has expanded the Veteran's claim to include all psychiatric disorders and has ordered a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD.
The deciding factor: The previous examiner’s opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the totality of VAMC treatment records and the Veteran's lay statements regarding service-related stressors.
- Claimed conditions
- an unspecified mood disorder, cannabis use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19130851
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 19130851.
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
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent for a mental health disorder is dismissed. The Board grants the Veteran a TDIU from September 2, 2019, but no earlier.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 70 percent for his service-connected psychiatric conditions (panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol use disorder, and cannabis use disorder) was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a 100 percent rating due to insufficient evidence of total occupational and social impairment.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to active service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was a predecisional duty to assist error and remands the case for an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, specifically addressing whether his service-connected PTSD caused or aggravated obesity, which may be an intermediate step in a secondary service-connection analysis.
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