The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for depressive disorder and for TDIU due to his service-connected disability. The case requires further examination by a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist to clarify the severity of the Veteran’s depressive disorder, its impact on his occupational and social functioning, and to reconcile the conflicting evidence in the record.
The deciding factor: The decision is remanded because there are inconsistencies in the medical evidence regarding the severity and frequency of the Veteran's depressive symptoms and their impact on his ability to work.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20058420
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 20058420.
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 Veteran's depressive disorder, not otherwise specified and psychophysiological gastrointestinal reaction resulted in total social impairment throughout the appeal period. The Board granted a total disability rating for these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for SMC and ED rating are remanded due to conflicting information regarding the onset of his erectile dysfunction.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for her mental condition and earlier effective date for TDIU was denied. The Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to March 5, 2019, and she lacked legal grounds to establish entitlement to a TDIU prior to November 1, 2016.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for posttraumatic distress disorder with depressive disorder, not otherwise specified (NOS) is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address the Veteran's low IQ and illiteracy.
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