The Veteran's claim for reopening the major depressive disorder was successful. The claims for service connection for glaucoma and right shoulder strain are still pending, as no specific theory of service connection has been provided. The rating for chronic right shoulder strain is remanded due to inadequate examination.
The deciding factor: The examiner must provide a full description of the Veteran's current disability and report all signs and symptoms necessary for evaluating his condition under the applicable rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder, Suspect glaucoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20022417
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 20022417.
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 initial ratings of 40 percent for lumbar spine disorder, 70 percent for major depressive disorder, and 40 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy. TDIU and SMC based on housebound status were also granted.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, based on the Veteran's military service in Vietnam.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, currently diagnosed as other specified trauma and stressor related disorder and major depressive disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder, finding that these conditions originated during active service. The claims for a recurrent sleep disability and a recurrent respiratory disability were remanded for further development.
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