The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate compliance with previous remand instructions and the need for a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded previously but did not provide a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's acquired mental health disorder is related to service or aggravated by a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Mental Health Disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20072066
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20072066.
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 Board has granted service connection for an acquired mental health disorder, including PTSD and substance abuse from PTSD. The Veteran's appeal was expanded to include unspecified depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, severe due to the nature of his claims. The Board found that the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities were incurred within one year of active duty due to exposure to an in-service stressor event.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The appeal is granted as his PTSD is now considered service-connected.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection of a left leg disability is reopened, and the appeal is granted.
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