The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, anxiety, and alcohol dependence, due to an inadequate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The June 2018 VA examination is found to be inadequate as it did not properly address the Veteran's reported symptoms and did not provide a diagnosis of PTSD that meets DSM-5 criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, Alcohol dependence
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2024
- Citation
- 24032712
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a heart disability, to include coronary artery disease (CAD), as secondary to the Veteran's anxiety and assigned a 70 percent rating from April 29, 2025. The Board also granted an initial 30 percent rating prior to that date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right hip, left hip, and left shoulder, as well as PTSD. The claim for a higher rating for the right knee scar was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, while remanding claims for depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, right knee strain, left knee strain, and lumbar spine strain.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, depression, anxiety, agitation, and sleep issues, due to in-service military sexual trauma (MST).
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