The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further rating determinations on his service-connected low back strain, right ankle sprain, and left ankle sprain.
The deciding factor: The current ratings do not reflect the severity of the Veteran’s symptoms as they relate to these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Disorder, Low Back Strain, Right Ankle Sprain, Left Ankle Sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19177010
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial increased rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability from March 8, 2010, to May 19, 2014, and denied a higher rating thereafter.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder of generalized anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, as secondary to the service-connected left ankle disability. Service connection was also granted for pseudofolliculitis barbae, and a 20 percent rating was assigned for left ankle achilles tendonitis from October 23, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include GAD and depressive disorder, as well as a cervical spine disability, right wrist pain, and left wrist pain. However, the claims for lumbar spine pain were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for adjustment disorder with anxiety and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as the evidence did not support the level of impairment required for these ratings.
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