The Board has denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for post branchial cyst residuals and remanded the issue of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The denial of compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 was based on lack of evidence showing negligence or fault from VA in providing care, while the psychiatric disorder claim is remanded due to insufficient information regarding a claimed stressor event.
- Claimed conditions
- post branchial cyst residuals, acquired psychiatric disorder (including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20027969
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 20027969.
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 has determined that the Veteran's low back strain is related to her active duty service and grants service connection for this condition. The issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, remains pending as the claimant's diagnosis does not meet the criteria for PTSD under DSM-IV but instead diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Service connection for a cervical spine disability is also pending.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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