The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, schizoaffective disorder, depression and bipolar disorder is remanded due to inadequate VA examination. Further development is required.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the Veteran’s prior diagnoses of depression and bipolar disorder, nor did they reconcile their findings with the Veteran's self-reports throughout the record.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), schizoaffective disorder, depression, bipolar disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20066974
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of February 21, 2007, for the award of service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder with anxious distress.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Granted
The Board granted a rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), as the Veteran's symptoms most nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
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