The Board has expanded the scope of the Veteran's service connection claim to include all currently-diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. The Veteran contends that his acquired psychiatric disorder is related to stressful and traumatic events he experienced while deployed in Iraq. However, the VA examiner found no diagnosis of PTSD but did diagnose major depressive disorder. The Board finds the January 2017 medical opinion inadequate and orders a new examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found the January 2017 medical opinion to be inadequate as it did not consider or address pertinent lay and medical evidence, including the Veteran's lay statements of record that his symptoms began during his deployment in Iraq, as well as the March 2004 post-deployment questionnaire in which the Veteran expressed symptoms of depression and requested mental health counseling.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, major depressive disorder, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19144946
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 19144946.
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.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
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