The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including unspecified trauma disorder and unspecified schizophrenia and other psychotic disorder, is remanded due to a lack of adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of his condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the December 2019 VA examiner's opinion was conclusory and lacked sufficient detail, necessitating an addendum opinion from another psychologist or psychiatrist.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified trauma disorder, unspecified schizophrenia and other psychotic disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2024
- Citation
- A24023218
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 A24023218.
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 is granted SMC under both 38 U.S.C. § 1114(o) and additional monthly allowance based on need for regular aid and attendance under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(1). The grants are due to separate service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him in need of regular aid and attendance, which is granted for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and compensation under Section 1151 for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to service or VA treatment.
- Granted
The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to be secondary to his service-connected unspecified trauma disorder, and the claim for this connection is granted.
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