The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and drug use are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's substance abuse is also granted as secondary to his acquired psychiatric disorder.,Service connection for hepatitis C is remanded due to lack of a VA medical opinion on its etiology.,Service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his service, with the acquired psychiatric disorders and substance abuse being secondary to those conditions.,The VA examiner found that the opioid use disorder was aggravated by the diagnosed other specified trauma and stressor related disorder (adjustment like disorder).,No VA medical opinion has been obtained regarding the etiology of hepatitis C. The Veteran's current diagnosis is from 2000, which predates his service.,The addendum opinion is needed to determine whether any current acquired psychiatric disorders meet the criteria under DSM-IV and are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Other specified trauma and stressor related disorder (adjustment like disorder), Unspecified depressive disorder, Opioid use disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20043921
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 20043921.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
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The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as PTSD and other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, was granted service connection. The effective date for the right elbow scar ratings is set at December 17, 2018.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding whether his surgeries and post-surgical care resulted in additional disabilities, as well as an evaluation of fault on VA's part.
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