The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for major depressive disorder as secondary to eczema and other service-connected disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the record.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions were incomplete, failing to address whether the Veteran’s major depressive disorder was aggravated by his service connected lumbar spine disorder or any of his other service-connected disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, eczema of the back and face, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine, right elbow lateral epicondylitis flexion, right elbow epicondylitis, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, right shoulder strain, left knee strain, right knee strain with degenerative joint disease status post meniscectomy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2020
- Citation
- A20017074
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A20017074.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder strain as there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within one year after discharge, and the medical opinion found that his current condition is not related to his military service.
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