The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the November 2019 rating decision on appeal.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record is insufficient to determine whether the in-service event transpired, and further development is needed to verify the Veteran's reported stressor regarding witnessing a fellow servicemember commit suicide.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, Neck disability, Left upper extremity disability (secondary to neck disability), Right upper extremity disability (secondary to neck disability), Back disability, Left lower extremity disability (secondary to back disability), Right lower extremity disability (secondary to back disability), Ingrown facial hair, Sinus disability, Respiratory disability, Left foot disability, Right foot disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25033786
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA, but denied increased ratings for various service-connected conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy but remanded the back disability claim for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating for the service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, finding that the earliest possible effective date had been assigned.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding a causal relationship between the condition and an in-service incident of military sexual trauma (MST).
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