The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include major depression, as secondary to service-connected disabilities due to a duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The opinion provided by VA is inadequate and does not address the aggravation prong of secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depression, Other Specified Trauma and Stressor Related Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25051860
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 Board granted an initial evaluation of 70 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, anxiety disorder, and major depression.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on a corroborated in-service stressor event.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, due to an inadequate examination and missing private medical records.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 20, 2007 for the grant of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and increased ratings to 70% from March 27, 2020 to June 5, 2020, and 100% from June 5, 2020. The claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability was denied.
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.