The Veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU have been remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records, Social Security Disability Benefits file, and lay statements. A VA examination is also required to assess the severity of his depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The most recent VA examination was conducted in October 2016 and the latest treatment records are dated February 2018, indicating that the Veteran's symptoms may have worsened since then.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, not otherwise specified, alcohol use
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19152817
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19152817.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral tinnitus and remanded claims for alcohol use, generalized anxiety disorder, and persistent depressive disorder due to insufficient evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating greater than 30 percent for her psychiatric disability prior to March 5, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, not otherwise specified, and his obstructive sleep apnea. The examiner is required to address whether obesity, which may be an intermediary factor, was a substantial factor in causing or aggravating the Veteran's OSA.
- Granted
The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to be caused by his service-connected PTSD, with obesity being an intermediate step in the multi-causal chain. As a result, the Board grants service connection for sleep apnea on a secondary basis.
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