The Board has expanded the claim to include PTSD and depression, as there are more than one mental health condition in the record. The Veteran's service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition is remanded due to insufficient evidence linking his current conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record is insufficient to establish whether the Veteran’s acquired psychiatric condition (including PTSD and depression) is etiologically related to his active duty service, particularly given the unverified stressor allegations and lack of a definitive opinion on the presence or absence of personal assault-related behaviors.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, depression
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20007913
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, as the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disorder during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
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