The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to unresolved issues related to the Veteran's military sexual trauma and psychiatric disorders. The VA examiner is requested to provide opinions on the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder(s) and GERD with hiatal hernia.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the August 2021 VA examination was inadequate due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's personnel records, which may have supported his claims for service connection. The examiner did not address or acknowledge the Veteran's subsequent demotion following a promotion and dismissed markers without sufficient rationale.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD) with hiatal hernia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2023
- Citation
- 23000506
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 23000506.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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