The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the Veteran's PTSD is related to his fear of hostile military and terrorist activities, as he reported during service. The left index finger disorder claim remains denied.
The deciding factor: Further investigation into the USS Constellation's location and activity at the time of the Veteran's arrival is needed to establish whether the Veteran experienced combat stressors that would support a diagnosis of PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- left index finger disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20000635
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 denied service connection for right ankle disability and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, but remanded the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder to reschedule a VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, currently rated at 70 percent disabling, as the evidence did not support a finding of total occupational and social impairment.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), a right shoulder disorder, and a back disorder due to lack of evidence supporting the claims.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, migraine headaches, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for irritable bowel syndrome post cholecystectomy with gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastritis, and a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for hemorrhoids.
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