The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and review of his claims, including the need for a VA mental health examination and an arthritis evaluation.
The deciding factor: The decision was not about service connection but rather about the need for additional medical evidence to support the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, alcohol use disorder, arthritis (including gout, rheumatoid arthritis)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20003379
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a liver condition, finding it to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claims for service connection for various acquired psychiatric disorders.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, MDD, and alcohol use disorder, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability and tinnitus.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.