The Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is necessary before the Board can adjudicate the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition and total disability rating based on individual employability. The Veteran was afforded a VA examination in April 2018, but the examiner did not provide sufficient rationale regarding why the stressors are related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity according to the definition provided by the Code of Federal Regulations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that more development is necessary due to insufficient explanation from the VA examiner regarding the relationship between the Veteran's in-service stressor and fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Unspecified Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19169462
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 19169462.
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 has granted service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to a verified in-service stressor, and the positive and negative medical evidence is at least in equipoise.
- Granted
Your claim for a higher rating and service connection for PTSD has been granted. The new evidence supports reopening your case.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD, OCD, GAD, and unspecified depressive disorder are rated at 70 percent disabling. The appeal for increased ratings is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not attributable to his active duty service.
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