The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and a left knee disability due to further development needed, specifically the acquisition of prison medical records.
The deciding factor: Further development is necessary as the AOJ did not reassess whether the requested records do not exist or are unavailable after the Veteran provided authorization forms.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcohol use disorder, Generalized anxiety disorder, Left knee disability, Other specified depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25039112
Veterans Law Judge
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 A25039112.
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 Veteran's TDIU claim for bilateral knee disabilities and his right and left knee scars have been granted. He is now rated at a combined 60% disability rating from June 1, 2018 based on bilateral factors for his bilateral knee disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of the issue of service connection for 9400 mental disorders, anxiety disorders, and generalized anxiety disorder was dismissed due to concurrent appeals. The claim is considered a supplemental claim for an already adjudicated issue.
- Granted
The Veteran's entitlement to higher level of SMC at the intermediate rate is granted, effective from January 8, 2021. He was previously in need of aid and attendance due to his left knee disability since February 1, 2017, and now has additional disabilities rated at 50 percent or more.
- Granted
The Veteran's accrued benefits claim for reimbursement of expenses related to his last sickness is granted, with a total amount of $37,366.56.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.