The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for his acquired psychiatric disorder prior to December 18, 2015 is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for his acquired psychiatric disorder after December 18, 2015 is denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding secondary service connection.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: The severity, frequency, and duration of the Veteran's symptoms did not result in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity; occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, or mood; or total occupational and social impairment.,The severity, frequency, and duration of the Veteran's symptoms did not result in total occupational and social impairment.,The VA examiner's opinions were inadequate as they did not address whether the Veteran's diagnosed disabilities were aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.,The VA examiner's opinions were inadequate as they did not address whether the Veteran's diagnosed disabilities were aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Right hip disability, Right elbow disability, Right shoulder disability, Left shoulder disability, Right wrist disability, Right hand disability, Skin disability, Left wrist disability, Left hand disability, Left elbow disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2023
- Citation
- 23060345
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 23060345.
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 service connection for a right elbow disability and a nasal disability, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease resulting in these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether injuries sustained in a November 2001 incident were in the line of duty. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded due to its interdependence with the line of duty issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain private treatment records from the Veteran's treating clinician.
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