The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to obtain private treatment records and provide an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of his alcohol use disorder, as well as a separate rating for each diabetic complication.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence is needed to determine if the Veteran's alcohol use disorder was caused or aggravated by his service-connected psychiatric condition. Separate ratings are also required for the complications of diabetes mellitus (gastroparesis, retinopathy, and peripheral neuropathy).
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood, Gastroparesis (as a complication of diabetes mellitus), Diabetic Retinopathy (as a complication of diabetes mellitus), Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (as a complication of diabetes mellitus)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2024
- Citation
- 24032933
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 709 · Granted: 38% (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 24032933.
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 acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood, is granted effective August 21, 2019. A rating of 70 percent for the acquired psychiatric disorder is granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his psychiatric disability is granted, and he is now rated at 70 percent. He also received a TDIU based solely on his service-connected psychiatric disability, and SMC at the housebound rate is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, requiring VA to obtain medical examinations and opinions regarding his psychiatric disorders, prostate condition, and erectile dysfunction.
- Granted
The Veteran's adjustment disorder with depressed mood has been granted a 70 percent evaluation effective August 8, 2016. The issue of entitlement to TDIU is remanded.
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