The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for additional development, including obtaining a VA opinion as to the etiology of his acquired psychiatric disorder that adequately considers his lay statements. The current VA opinion provided did not address the Veteran's lay statements or provide sufficient rationale.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was insufficient and failed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service symptoms and stressors, which are critical for establishing service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2021
- Citation
- 21070247
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 21070247.
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 claims of service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD due to inadequate VA examination opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD due to insufficient evidence in the record.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to procedural errors, and will consider new evidence in determining if there is a current diagnosis of PTSD or if hepatitis C was incurred during active duty.
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