The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining new medical opinions regarding service connection for PTSD and depressive disorder, as well as a determination of whether the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders are related to his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner was not able to provide an adequate opinion on the presence or cause of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders due to insufficient information in the record.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depressive disorder), Diabetes mellitus, type II (diabetes), Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with facet arthritis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20064334
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 is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding no evidence that his death was related to any injury or disease in service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, as the evidence did not support the need for insulin or episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring hospitalization.
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