The Board remands the claim for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's major depressive disorder with anxious distress is caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The April 2022 and August 2022 VA opinions inadequately addressed the Veteran's specific contention that he has a psychiatric disability secondary to his service-connected disabilities, leading to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2025
- Citation
- A25027964
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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 A25027964.
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 granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for his acquired psychiatric disability, finding that it is at least as likely as not due to or the result of his other service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied because there is no evidence of current tinnitus symptoms during the review period.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for major depressive disorder with anxious distress is denied as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a 100% evaluation due to lack of total occupational and social impairment.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder with anxious distress.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's major depressive disorder with anxious distress, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his active duty service. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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