The Board has remanded the claim due to a duty to assist error regarding psychiatric disorders related to service-connected disabilities. The appellant contends that the Veteran's death was caused by his military service and/or his service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran had an acquired psychiatric disorder incurred in or related to his active duty service, and if it was due to or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Coronary artery disease, Lumbar strain, Adenocarcinoma of the prostate, Right nephrectomy, Nephrectomy scar, Diabetes mellitus, type II, Peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, Erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2024
- Citation
- A24077352
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 A24077352.
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 granted service connection for major depressive disorder with anxious distress, alcohol use disorder, tension headaches, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and erectile dysfunction, all of which are found to be related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding a causal relationship between the condition and an in-service incident of military sexual trauma (MST).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for varicose veins in the bilateral lower extremities and dismissed the appeal for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to untimely notice of disagreement. The lumbar spine disability claim was remanded for further development.
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