The Board has remanded two issues: service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and service connection for the residuals of mercury poisoning. Further development is needed to ensure that the decision on these claims is fully informed, including obtaining additional records from Walter Reed Medical Center and addressing previous diagnoses and potential exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that further development was necessary due to recent legal precedent requiring a DSM-5 diagnosis for compensation purposes and because VA treatment records noted a previous diagnosis of depressive disorder NEC which may or may not support the current claim. Additionally, an enlarged spleen at the time of the Veteran's hospitalization is being evaluated in light of potential mercury poisoning.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability, Mercury poisoning residuals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20060196
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 20060196.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal regarding attorney fees for past-due benefits awarded in a June 2021 rating decision is dismissed as moot due to the waiver of rights by R.V.C.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's request to readjudicate the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability with alcohol and drug abuse is granted. The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence sufficient to readjudicate the claim has been received, but further development is needed due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding verification of reported deaths in service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a low back condition and an acquired psychiatric disability are dismissed as procedural defects due to the overlapping nature of the appeals.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, finding that his claimed stressors did not meet the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD and concluding that there was no causal relationship between any current mental health condition and his military service.
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