The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his claims for service connection of acquired psychiatric disorders, but has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA obtained medical opinions that were inadequate and did not address whether the Veteran’s current psychiatric symptoms are related to his military service or pre-existing personality disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, Nervous Condition (likely referring to a personality disorder), Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Adjustment Reaction with Mixed and Anxious Depressed Mood
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19140579
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 19140579.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's PTSD was granted a maximum disability rating of 100 percent effective December 12, 2022. The ratings for migraines and IBS with GERD were restored from noncompensable to their previous levels.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a disability rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, effective October 24, 2017. The Board also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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