The Board has remanded the case due to the need to verify a claimed in-service stressor related to witnessing the death of a fellow sailor during drills while on board the ship, which is necessary for service connection.
The deciding factor: Verification of the Veteran's claimed in-service stressor is required for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- other trauma and stressor-related disorder, depressed mood, anxiety, suspicions, chronic sleep impairment
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2020
- Citation
- A20015150
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A20015150.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric condition, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the claims for service connection for anxiety, depression, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), finding that new and relevant evidence supports these claims.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and anxiety, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service incurrence or onset of these conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, requiring an additional medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.
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