The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include adjustment disorder, depression, anxiety, and unspecified sleep-wake disorder, as secondary to service-connected disabilities, including migraine headaches, due to an inadequate medical examination.
The deciding factor: The October 2022 VA examination was found inadequate because it did not address the Veteran's contentions regarding the impact of his service-connected migraine headaches on his mental health and failed to diagnose a current psychiatric disorder despite evidence suggesting one exists.
- Claimed conditions
- Adjustment Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Unspecified Sleep-Wake Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25035410
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 service connection for multiple myeloma, back disability (secondary to multiple myeloma), and depression, with an effective date of January 26, 2021. The decision also remanded claims related to breast cancer, DEA benefits, and initial ratings.
- Denied
The veteran's bad conduct discharge precludes eligibility for VA benefits, including compensation and healthcare.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability due to the need for a more comprehensive medical examination and opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and personality disorder, due to the need for further development of the record.
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