The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development including obtaining updated VA treatment records, requesting SSA disability records, and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his service-connected syncope and TBI conditions as well as any psychiatric disorders. The claims are also remanded for a new VA examination to determine if PTSD should be diagnosed and whether any psychiatric disorder is related to active service or a service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The decision notes that the Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues including initial compensable ratings for syncope and TBI, as well as service connection for a psychiatric disorder. The Board finds that further development is needed due to incomplete records and potential changes in symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Syncope, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Psychiatric Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176517
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 granted a rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), as the Veteran's symptoms most nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
- Granted
The Veteran's effective date for the award of a 100 percent rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder moderate and TBI was granted as of October 22, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and increased evaluations for GERD, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and TBI.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI) as the evidence did not support a finding of symptoms related to TBI residuals.
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