The Board has reopened the previously denied claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining missing service personnel records, VA treatment records, and private treatment records; notifying the Veteran of the types of evidence that may corroborate his reported in-service stressor of being raped; scheduling a VA medical examination; and readjudicating the claim.
The deciding factor: The new evidence submitted by the Veteran raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for service connection due to the presence of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The case is remanded as there are missing records that need to be obtained and a VA medical examination needs to be scheduled.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety state, PTSD (now claimed as an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD, depression, and anxiety), depression
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165381
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (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 19165381.
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 remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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