The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for HIV, PTSD, and thoracolumbar spine condition due to insufficient medical opinions addressing pertinent evidence.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not adequately address the Veteran’s credible reports of symptoms during service and post-service treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- HIV, Acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), Thoracolumbar spine condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20025813
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 20025813.
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 Board finds the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran has an acquired psychiatric disorder related to service, particularly given inconsistencies in his statements and lack of combat service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for PTSD and sleep apnea have been withdrawn. The appeal concerning service connection for HIV has been remanded due to the need for a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudicating the appellant's claim of service connection for the Veteran's cause of death. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD was granted effective August 29, 2022. Service connection was established for vitreous syneresis / vitreous floaters of both eyes. The claims for service connection for refractive error of both eyes (myopia and astigmatism), bilateral hearing loss disability, residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), obstructive sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) were all denied.
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