The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer and PTSD with secondary persistent depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow any substantially gainful occupation. The Board has remanded the case for referral to the Director of the Compensation Service for consideration of a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU, but VA policy requires that all Veterans who are unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation by reason of a service-connected disability be rated totally disabled, even if the assigned schedular ratings do not equal 60 percent for a single disability or 70 percent for a combined disability.
- Claimed conditions
- prostate cancer, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), secondary persistent depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2021
- Citation
- 21011108
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 21011108.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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