The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was previously denied, but new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim. Service connection is granted for an unspecified depressive disorder secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The rating for cataracts remains unchanged. Sleep apnea is remanded for further evaluation as it may be related to his psychiatric disability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's sleep apnea was not found to be directly related to his PTSD, but may be secondary to his diagnosed depressive disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disability (Unspecified Depressive Disorder), Cataracts
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19140644
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (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 19140644.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's primary open angle glaucoma with cataracts, as well as a determination of whether he has a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss for VA compensation purposes. The case is being remanded to allow for these determinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current eye disabilities are related to service or preexisted with no superimposed injury during service. The VA must obtain a supplemental opinion from an appropriately qualified examiner.
- Granted
The Veteran's cataracts are rated at a 10 percent rating, and he is granted a separate 20 percent rating for bilateral dry eye syndrome and meibomian gland dysfunction. The decision also notes that the Veteran has not had any incapacitating episodes in the past year.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including obtaining SSA records beyond medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess syncope associated with DM and hypertension.
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