The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran's major depressive disorder with psychotic features contributed to his cause of death. The VA will need to obtain additional medical opinions to address this issue.
The deciding factor: There are conflicting opinions on whether the Veteran's major depressive disorder caused or aggravated any causes of death, including depression causing him not to seek treatment for his conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic prostate cancer, rectal adenocarcinoma, ulcerative colitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2024
- Citation
- 24009271
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 24009271.
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 Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a colon condition, including as caused by herbicide agent exposure or secondary to his service-connected disabilities, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection on any basis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress and service connection for ulcerative colitis are being remanded due to the failure to obtain relevant medical records.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU was denied as the new evidence submitted did not raise a reasonable possibility of establishing his entitlement to TDIU. The Board found that the VA treatment records generated in the year following the September 2017 rating decision were cumulative or redundant and did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for left foot plantar fasciitis and remanded the claims of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and migraines secondary to insomnia.
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