The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, depression disorder, and schizophrenia. The issues of service connection for sleep apnea (secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder), gastrointestinal disability (secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder), and erectile dysfunction (secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder) are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence related to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, depression disorder, and schizophrenia. The issues of secondary service connection for sleep apnea, gastrointestinal disability, and erectile dysfunction are remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the reopened claim.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, depression disorder, schizophrenia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002941
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 effective date of December 12, 2023, for a 50 percent evaluation of bipolar disorder and remanded the other issues for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for depression, PTSD, and an anxiety disorder due to the lack of a current diagnosis.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for anxiety disorder and denied service connection for hearing loss. The claims for service connection for GERD, right ankle limitations, and sinusitis were remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board dismissed the appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU) and remanded several issues related to increased ratings for various disabilities.
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