The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development to determine his eligibility for TDIU and SMC based on the need of regular aid and attendance or housebound status, as well as to clarify whether he has been employed in a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: Further examination and information are needed to accurately assess the Veteran's current employment status and disability impact.
- Claimed conditions
- Coronary Artery Disease with Implantated Cardiac Pacemaker, Major Depressive Disorder with Panic Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19163996
Veterans Law Judge
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 19163996.
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 Veteran's major depressive disorder with panic disorder is granted service connection. The left shoulder and clavicle disability, as well as the cervical spine disability, are denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder with Panic Disorder, and Stomach Problems due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran needs a VA examination to determine if his psychiatric conditions are related to in-service personal assault and exposure to contaminants at Camp Lejeune.
- Denied
The Veteran's major depressive disorder with panic disorder is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder with panic disorder was rated at 50 percent prior to May 4, 2017.,Beginning May 4, 2017, the rating for his major depressive disorder with panic disorder increased to 70 percent.
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