The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including whether it is related to service or secondary to his bilateral total hip replacement.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale for their conclusions and failed to address the issue of secondary service connection for symptoms exacerbated by the Veteran's service-connected bilateral total hip replacement.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety, depression, panic disorder, mood disorders, alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20069340
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 service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a liver condition, finding it to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claims for service connection for various acquired psychiatric disorders.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for panic disorder, OSA, and hypertension as secondary to a service-connected condition. The claim for diabetes mellitus was denied.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.