The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service. The examiner must determine if any pre-existing mental health issues were aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs to assess whether any diagnosed psychiatric disorders clearly and unmistakably predated service and were or were not aggravated during service.
- Claimed conditions
- schizophrenia, cognitive disorder, borderline intellectual functioning
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19145363
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 remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed alternatively as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder, due to an inadequate VA examiner's opinion and a failure to fulfill the duty to assist in obtaining relevant medical records.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected dysthymic disorder, anxiety disorder, borderline intellectual functioning, and dyslexia have prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include schizophrenia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychological condition, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, due to inadequate medical examinations and opinions.
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