The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and incomplete medical records. The Veteran's conditions are related to his military service, but further development is needed to establish this relationship.
The deciding factor: The opinion provided by Dr. M-Q was inadequate as it did not provide a rationale or factual basis for the conclusions reached.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Sleep Apnea, Hypothyroidism, Diabetes Mellitus type II, Parkinson’s Disease, Left Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Right Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Left Upper Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Right Upper Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Left Lower Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Right Lower Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20079678
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 20079678.
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 PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, finding the appellant's symptoms did not more closely approximate occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD and a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
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