The Veteran's appeal for service connection and disability ratings is remanded, while the TDIU claim from October 17, 2011 to April 4, 2012 is also remanded. The Board will consider whether the Veteran can secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, requiring further examination and consideration of the issue.
- Claimed conditions
- Mood Disorder, Degenerative Arthritis of the Spine, Bilateral Hip Disorder (including left hip mild gluteus minimus insertional tendinosis and trochanteric bursitis), Patellofemoral Syndrome of the Left Knee, Patellofemoral Syndrome of the Right Knee, Puncture Wound of the Left Foot with Scar (including thickling of plantar fascia)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20075125
Veterans Law Judge
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 20075125.
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 PTSD and mood disorders, effective from February 7, 2012. The Veteran's claim was ongoing until the RO granted service connection for PTSD in July 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that new and relevant evidence has been received in relation to the claim on appeal, warranting readjudication of the issue. The Veteran's ED is claimed as secondary to his service-connected mood disorder including side effects of medications taken for his mood disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found new and relevant evidence to readjudicate the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression/major depressive disorder, mood disorder, anxiety/generalized anxiety disorder, and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed moods. The case is remanded for further consideration.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD due to MST and low back pain are granted. The case is remanded for further examination.
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