The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, other than PTSD, and remanded the claims for a cervical spine condition, left hip condition, right hip condition, lumbar spine condition, left lower extremity sciatica nerve pain, and right lower extremity sciatica nerve pain.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric condition other than PTSD, and remand is necessary for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of the claimed musculoskeletal conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric condition, other than PTSD, Cervical spine condition, Left hip condition, Right hip condition, Lumbar spine condition, Left lower extremity sciatica nerve pain, Right lower extremity sciatica nerve pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2025
- Citation
- A25032922
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The appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran before the Board promulgated a decision.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include alcohol use disorder, unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, and PTSD was granted. Other claims for various conditions were denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left ankle condition, sleep apnea, lower back condition, and right hip condition as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus, bilateral hallux valgus, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, and right ankle calcaneal spur.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for other specified depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, somatic symptom disorder, alcohol use disorder, left hip condition, left knee condition, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right hip condition, right knee condition, right lower extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, shin splints, left leg, shin splints, right leg, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) for further development.
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