The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient discussion of the appellant's reported in-service incidents and injuries, particularly regarding his acquired psychiatric disorder and lower back disorder. The claims are being returned for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the January 2012 VA examiner did not clearly address whether the appellant's adjustment disorder was related to his in-service incident of racial and religious harassment, and that the April 2006 records support a finding that the appellant's lower back disorder may be related to an in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment disorder, lower back disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2023
- Citation
- 23000295
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 23000295.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for lower back, right hip, and right ankle disorders as secondary to his left knee disorder. The AOJ must obtain VA examinations and provide answers to questions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for erectile dysfunction and granted an earlier effective date of March 31, 2015, for a 50% evaluation of other specified trauma disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and remanded the claim for adjustment disorder. The Veteran's radiculopathy is not shown to be related to his military service, while his adjustment disorder may be related to civilian life.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for adjustment disorder, SMC-AA benefits, and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits was granted effective August 10, 2022.
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