The Veteran's depressive disorder and anxiety disorder are granted as secondary to his service-connected back condition. The Board also found that the Veteran's arthritis of the left ankle, left shoulder, and right knee is at least as likely as not related to his service-connected back condition.
The deciding factor: The examiner found that the Veteran’s psychiatric conditions were at least as likely as not due to his back condition, specifically 'degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis'. The arthritis of the left ankle, left shoulder, and right knee are also considered related to his service-connected back condition.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Depressive Disorder","diagnosis_date":null,"disposition":"granted"}, {"condition_name":"Anxiety Disorder","diagnosis_date":null,"disposition":"granted"}, {"condition_name":"Arthritis (left ankle)","diagnosis_date":null,"disposition":"remanded"}, {"condition_name":"Arthritis (left shoulder)","diagnosis_date":null,"disposition":"remanded"}, {"condition_name":"Arthritis (right knee)","diagnosis_date":null,"disposition":"remanded"}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19182043
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 service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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