The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's diagnosed major depressive disorder and its relation to his service. The VA is instructed to obtain private psychiatric treatment records from D.D., LCSW and Transitions Counseling, and provide an addendum opinion addressing the nature and etiology of the Veteran’s diagnosed MDD.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the medical opinions provided were inadequate and requested additional information from the Veteran for obtaining his private treatment records. An addendum opinion is needed to address whether the current acquired psychiatric disorder (MDD) had its initial onset in service or is otherwise etiologically related to his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20023710
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 20023710.
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
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The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for depression, other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder with alcohol use disorder, severe, and PTSD due to inadequate medical opinions provided by VA examiners.
- Denied
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