The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability was related to service, and if so, whether his alcohol use disorder was aggravated by that condition. The cause of death is also under review.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a clear indication as to whether the Veteran's psychiatric disorder was related to service or whether his substance abuse problems were aggravated by his acquired psychiatric disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability (unspecified anxiety disorder), Alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2022
- Citation
- 22070674
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 22070674.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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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