The Board is remanding the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and initial ratings due to procedural issues, including a failure to issue an SOC on these matters. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it relates back to the original claims.
The deciding factor: Procedural errors prevented the issuance of an SOC addressing the earlier effective date and initial rating claims, necessitating their return for proper consideration.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, and insomnia, superficial and non-linear slug burn scars of the right upper extremity, superficial and non-linear slug burn scars of the left upper extremity, linear scars of the right knee and anterior trunk, status post gunshot wound, deep and non-linear scars of the anterior chest, status post gunshot wound
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20001706
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20001706.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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