The Board remands the matter for an independent medical expert opinion to address the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including whether it is related to service or aggravated by a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The May 2024 and subsequent VA medical opinions did not adequately address the conflicting evidence regarding the anxiety and depressive disorders as separate from other specified schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, nor did they properly consider the Veteran's lay statements and private medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, other specified schizophrenia and other psychotic disorder, other than alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2025
- Citation
- 25003819
Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine
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