The Board remands the claim for service connection of bruxism, as a manifestation of anxiety, to correct pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary due to an ambiguity in the record regarding whether the Veteran's bruxism is a manifestation of his service-connected TMJ or a psychiatric disability, and further clarification is needed.
- Claimed conditions
- bruxism
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25027084
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 an earlier effective date of March 11, 2013, for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder based on new and material evidence constructively received within one year of the initial denial.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased rating for service-connected PTSD with bruxism, to include consideration of a separate rating for headaches, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bruxism as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with MDD, anxious distress, and frequent panic episodes.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bruxism as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected generalized anxiety disorder, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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