The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) and psoriasis due to insufficient evidence of verified stressors and potential aggravation by in-service hepatitis. The AOJ is instructed to attempt verification of the claimed stressor, obtain an opinion on the relationship between psoriasis and exposure to CS gas, and address whether psoriasis was caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence to verify the Veteran's claimed stressors for PTSD. Additionally, there is potential aggravation of psoriasis due to in-service hepatitis that needs further clarification from medical professionals.
- Claimed conditions
- Psychiatric Disorder (including PTSD), Psoriasis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20021192
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 20021192.
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 Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations to determine the current severity of his service-connected psoriasis and bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death was cardiopulmonary arrest due to aspiration, and they have found a duty to assist error in their initial decision. They are now requesting a medical opinion to determine if the service-connected conditions contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors in the November 2020 rating decision. The psychiatric claim, HIV and psoriasis secondary claims, and TDIU issue are all related and must be addressed together.
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