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
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.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and higher initial disability ratings, as the earliest possible effective date of September 26, 2012, was assigned.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
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