The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed for the claims of service connection for PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, sleep disability (to include sleep apnea), and headache disability (to include as due to a TBI). The Veteran's VA treatment records from Tuscaloosa, Alabama in January 2011 are requested. Additionally, the Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that there are outstanding relevant VA treatment records and that the Veteran has not been afforded appropriate VA examinations for his claimed conditions. Therefore, a remand is necessary to obtain missing VA medical treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for VA examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Diabetes Mellitus type II, Sleep Disability (to include Sleep Apnea), Headache Disability (to include as due to a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI))
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19176125
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (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 19176125.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is rated at a 70 percent level, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claims of service connection for PTSD, a rating increase for PTSD, and service connection for pancreatic cancer secondary to diabetes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's TDIU and DEA claims are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors prior to the rating decision on review. The effective date for TDIU is set at January 31, 2021, based on the last day of employment. However, the RO needs to obtain SSA records regarding earnings from July 2020 to January 31, 2021, to determine if the Veteran's employment was marginal.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.