The Veteran's anxiety disorder is granted as service-connected. The cases of anorgasmia, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, bursitis of the left hip, status-post trauma to the left thumb and middle finger, and traumatic brain injury are all remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's anxiety disorder is related to service due to in-service stressors, specifically combat deployment to the Persian Gulf War. The cases of anorgasmia, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, bursitis of the left hip, status-post trauma to the left thumb and middle finger, and traumatic brain injury are remanded as there is insufficient evidence or evaluation to determine their current severity.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety disorder, anorgasmia, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc degeneration and herniated intervertebral disc, bursitis of the left hip, status-post trauma of the left thumb and left middle finger (claimed as chronic collateral ligament tear and crush injury with nail removal), traumatic brain injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19134875
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,820 · 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 19134875.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The Board found the VA audiological examination inadequate for adjudicative purposes and remanded for an adequate VA audiological examination to determine if the Veteran has bilateral hearing loss. Service connection for PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depression is also remanded as there are insufficient competent medical evidence on file.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, specifically anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, which is found to be due to military sexual trauma experienced during service. The decision also notes that the Veteran's reports of in-service personal assault are credible and supported by medical opinions.
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