The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically depressive disorder not otherwise specified, due to inadequate VA examinations and new evidence from the Veteran's wife.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were found to be inadequate as they did not fully address both direct and secondary service connection. The case is now returned for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive disorder not otherwise specified
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23057192
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 23057192.
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 claims for effective dates prior to May 30, 2008, for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, panic disorder with agoraphobia, and depressive disorder not otherwise specified) and a low back disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for PTSD, obstructive sleep apnea, skin rash, and bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depressive disorder not otherwise specified, and anxiety disorder. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service stressors or a current diagnosis of PTSD. The other diagnosed conditions were found to be unrelated to service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder not otherwise specified, and depressive disorder not otherwise specified. The Veteran's diagnoses are linked to his in-service stressors related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.
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