The Veteran's death was attributed to cocaine toxicity, which the Board found at least as likely as not to be secondary to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder. The case is remanded for further development regarding an increased rating for the acquired psychiatric disorder and TDIU.
The deciding factor: Service connection for the cause of death granted due to evidence suggesting a causal link between the Veteran's service-connected condition and his cocaine abuse, which was found to be secondary to his psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21029287
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 21029287.
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 veteran was granted a 70 percent rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder, effective January 20, 2018, and the claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and recurrent epididymitis of the right testicle are granted. The Veteran is assigned a 10 percent rating for his recurrent epididymitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for further evaluation.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted, as new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim. The Board finds that his current depressive disorder is related to his military service.
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