The Board remands the claims for a higher initial rating for PTSD and entitlement to TDIU due to procedural errors in the prior adjudications.
The deciding factor: Procedural errors, including failure to notify the Veteran of decisions and duty to assist errors, necessitate remand for further development and readjudication.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD with an alcohol use disorder, cocaine use disorder, and cannabis use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25045732
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 Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including depression, alcohol use disorder, cocaine use disorder, and cannabis use disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an adequate VA examination to determine if the Veteran's psychiatric disability, including cocaine, cannabis, and alcohol use disorders, is related to or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD with an alcohol use disorder was dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 100 percent rating for PTSD, major depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder, and cocaine use disorder from May 3, 2022, but denied an increased rating prior to that date.
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