The Board remands the appeal to correct a duty-to-assist error and obtain additional evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: A retrospective VA medical opinion is needed due to an inadequate record, and outstanding private treatment records should be obtained.
- Claimed conditions
- posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2025
- Citation
- A25023867
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for both issues, and therefore they are dismissed.
- Denied
The appeal for an earlier effective date prior to January 23, 2014, for the grant of service connection for PTSD based on CUE in the January 2003 and December 2017 rating decisions was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder, but denied higher ratings for PTSD and migraine.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's appeal for a rating higher than 50 percent for PTSD with major depressive disorder, as the evidence did not support a finding of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
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