The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for major depressive disorder must be remanded due to outdated medical records and the need for a new examination.
The deciding factor: The case is remanded because all previous examinations are out of date and no updated VA or private medical records have been obtained.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder with psychotic features
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2024
- Citation
- 24003508
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 835 · Granted: 22% (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 24003508.
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 service-connected major depressive disorder with psychotic features is granted a 100% disability rating from October 8, 2019 to September 12, 2021 due to persistent hallucinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the initial decision denying eligibility for PCAFC benefits was not properly notified and requires a new medical opinion to determine if the Veteran needs personal care services based on his conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder with psychotic features resulted in total occupational and social impairment, warranting a 100% disability rating.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for major depressive disorder with psychotic features, alcohol use disorder, unspecified cannabis use disorder, and stimulant use disorder but denied an increased rating for right ankle fracture residuals and osteoarthritis. The claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus and migraines were remanded.
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