The Board has determined that the current decision is not final and requires further review due to incomplete medical opinions. The case will be remanded for additional examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The previous medical opinions were inadequate as they did not address all aspects of the February 2019 remand order, including the need to determine if any psychiatric conditions existed during service and whether any acquired psychiatric conditions proximately caused or aggravated alcohol use disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Psychiatric conditions (including anxiety, stress, depression), Alcohol use disorder, Adjustment Disorder with disturbance of emotion and mood, Psychotic disorder NOS
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 25, 2022
- Citation
- 22030887
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 22030887.
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 requests for an effective date prior to June 3, 2020 for the grants of service connection for PTSD and tinnitus. The decision states that VA did not receive an ITF in September 2019 as claimed by the Veteran or her representative, and thus no earlier effective date can be granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, particularly PTSD. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions and related stressors.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric and substance use disabilities required inpatient treatment at a VA-approved residential treatment center (RTC) from April to June 2020, exceeding the 21-day threshold for temporary total rating. The Board granted this claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the April 2021 VA examination is inadequate to rate the Veteran's tension headaches and PTSD. Therefore, a remand is necessary to obtain updated private treatment records and conduct new examinations.
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