The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current diagnosis of persistent depressive disorder. The Veteran is asked to provide or authorize VA to obtain private treatment records from his primary care physician and a new VA examination will be scheduled.
The deciding factor: The examiner did not provide an adequate and clear opinion as to the etiology of the Veteran’s PDD, which was required for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19196778
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 19196778.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and memory loss due to a need for additional development, including verification of Reserve service dates, obtaining VistA images, and obtaining an adequate medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a respiratory disability, sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression) due to potential herbicide exposure in Korea. The Veteran's service records show he was stationed at Camp Casey in Korea from 1980 to 1981. Further development is needed to verify his claimed exposure to Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being returned to the RO for completion of the development directed by the Board in its last remand. The issues include service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, migraine headaches, and hypothyroidism; rating higher than 20 percent for degenerative arthrosis with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine prior to May 26, 2017 and to a rating higher than 40 percent thereafter; service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity; an effective date earlier than August 19, 2011, for the grant of service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity; and total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression) and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy are granted service connection, with the Board finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to his service-connected back disability. The neck disorder claim is remanded for further examination.
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