The Board has denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including recurrent major depressive episodes, depression not otherwise specified, mood disorder, and adjustment disorder. The case is remanded to determine the etiology of the Veteran's alcohol use disorder.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran’s alcohol use disorder, which is required for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Recurrent major depressive episodes, Depression not otherwise specified, Mood disorder, Adjustment disorder with depressed mood
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21008437
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 21008437.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking his current mental health conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial ratings for major depressive disorder and adjustment disorder with depressed mood have been granted at a 50 percent rating, effective September 3, 2024. The Board has now determined that the criteria for an initial 70 percent rating are met from this date.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and adjustment disorder with depressed mood, was denied as there is no verified stressor or corroborated in-service events to support the claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Board found that the appellant's misconduct was mitigated by his combat-related experiences and mental health symptoms, leading to a decision granting VA benefits despite his bad conduct discharge.
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