The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his disability. The effective date claim is also being remanded due to its inextricability with the evaluation issue.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms have worsened since his last VA examination, and he should be provided an opportunity for a new examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected psychiatric disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder, recurrent, moderate with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 16, 2024
- Citation
- 24008185
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 24008185.
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 remanded the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, requiring additional medical opinions on direct service connection and secondary service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected major depressive disorder was granted a 70 percent evaluation, effective March 20, 2018.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the claim for service connection for PTSD as there is no remaining controversy with respect to this issue, and the Veteran is already compensated for his psychiatric symptoms through the award of major depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to an initial rating higher than 70 percent for service-connected major depressive disorder, recurrent, moderate with anxious distress and traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as the claims for service connection for Fuchs' corneal dystrophy, left and right eyes, and cervicogenic headaches, for further development.
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