The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for major depressive disorder, diabetes mellitus, type II, alcoholism, and a low back disorder due to potential conflicts with the Court’s decision. The VA must obtain SSA records, provide a new VA examination for his back condition, and provide a VA psychiatric examination to determine the etiology of his acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board's decision was vacated by the Court because it did not comply with its previous decisions regarding the Veteran's claims. As such, the case must be returned to the agency of original jurisdiction for further action.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, diabetes mellitus, type II, alcoholism, low back disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20037635
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 20037635.
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 Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a VA examination and medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's low back disorder and bilateral hip disorder are related to his service-connected Crohn's disease.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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