The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for unspecified depressive disorder, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity due to a lack of adequate consideration of the Veteran's statements regarding his symptoms in the June 2016 and December 2018 affidavits. The claims are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an addendum medical opinion was necessary to determine whether the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder had been more disabling than initially rated prior to June 26, 2019, and if so, what level of impairment it most closely approximated based on his statements in the affidavits.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 1, 2022
- Citation
- 22011701
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 22011701.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current unspecified depressive disorder is related to his service-connected disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder with insomnia disorder is rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that this rating is not sufficient to reflect his disability picture.
- Granted
The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorders were rated at a 70 percent disability rating effective May 6, 2015.,Effective May 6, 2015, the Veteran was granted an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder is granted, while the claim for PTSD remains denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence and in-service stressor confirmation.
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