The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and TDIU due to diabetes mellitus type II. The case is returned for further review, including obtaining a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes.
The deciding factor: The July 2020 VA examiner did not address the impact of the Veteran’s diabetes on his acquired psychiatric disorder as requested in the May 2020 Remand. The Board finds another remand necessary to obtain an addendum opinion that addresses this matter.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired psychiatric disorder (unspecified depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20073207
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (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 20073207.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve as secondary to the Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome and denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board also granted a 50 percent rating for migraine headaches throughout the period on appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection in a previous decision. The claims for service connection for vision disorder (cataracts) and bilateral hearing loss are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to outstanding records and need for additional medical examinations. The issues include hemorrhoids, stomach disability, heartburn, neck disability, TBI, headache (migraine), left testicle disability, acquired psychiatric disorder, and sleep apnea.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for low back disability and acquired psychiatric disorder due to insufficient evidence in the record, including lack of nexus opinions based on STRs and continuity of care after service. The Veteran's lay statements regarding his military experiences are also considered.
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