The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and residuals of a traumatic brain injury to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding obtaining relevant Social Security Administration (SSA) records.
The deciding factor: The AOJ has a duty to assist claimants in obtaining evidence needed to substantiate a claim, which includes obtaining relevant SSA records. The failure to do so constitutes a pre-decisional duty to assist error that must be corrected.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder (MDD), Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25026948
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (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 A25026948.
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 determined that the Veteran's service-connected Major Depressive Disorder contributed to his death from a Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA). The claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is therefore granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders and their relationship to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his bilateral lower extremity conditions and PTSD, resulted in a loss of use of both lower extremities such that he is entitled to specially adapted housing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in verifying the Veteran's claimed stressors and developing his claim for a psychiatric disability other than PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide more details about the events he witnessed during service, and a VA examination will be scheduled to determine if any diagnosed conditions are related to service.
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