The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions regarding service connection for depressive disorder and coronary artery disease. The Veteran's claims are related to his service-connected disabilities, specifically right little finger degenerative arthritis, periodontal disease, appendectomy residuals and associated scars.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the record was insufficient to make a decision on the service connection claims due to incomplete documentation and need for additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20003241
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as depressive disorder, effective May 1, 2017.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, type II, left eye diabetic retinopathy, left foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and coronary artery disease, as well as the Veteran's cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for coronary artery disease to correct duty to assist errors, as there are no adequate medical opinions of record.
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