The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and its relationship to service, specifically his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
The deciding factor: There is contradictory and insufficient medical evidence regarding the nature of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and its etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- recurrent depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21003367
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 21003367.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an earlier effective date and initial disability rating was dismissed due to untimely filing.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher initial rating, TDIU based solely on his psychiatric disability, and SMC based on housebound criteria.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected recurrent depressive disorder and awarded a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including recurrent depressive disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder. The evidence shows that the Veteran's symptoms began during his military service and have continued since then.
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