The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders. The examiner did not apply the correct evidentiary standard when determining whether the Veteran's diagnosed schizoaffective disorder was due to a preexisting condition, and his nexus opinion is incomplete and legally inaccurate.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examination opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders was inadequate and incomplete.
- Claimed conditions
- schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, borderline personality disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2024
- Citation
- A24071097
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 275 · Granted: 33% (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 A24071097.
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 Board has granted service connection for a back disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that the evidence supports a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active duty service.
- Granted
The Veteran's schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas from November 15, 2016, to August 10, 2021.,Beginning August 11, 2021, the disability caused total occupational and social impairment.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type was dismissed due to her death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Dismissed
Your claim for service connection for a schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, was granted effective October 25, 2024. The appeal is dismissed as the full benefit sought has been granted.
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