The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder due to military sexual trauma and unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: A remand is required because the May 2024 letter did not adequately advise the Veteran that she could submit evidence of behavior changes following her claimed MST as credible supporting evidence of the stressor as required under 38 C.F.R. § 3.304(f)(5).
- Claimed conditions
- Post-traumatic stress disorder due to military sexual trauma (MST), Unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25101394
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,077 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
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 A25101394.
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 claim for an increased rating of 70 percent for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress is granted, effective December 21, 2024. The claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was restored to 20 percent, effective February 24, 2020. The Veteran's depressive disorder and scars were all granted increased ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and benefits related to his PTSD are being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. Specifically, the AOJ should obtain records from the Vet Center.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his depressive disorder, lumbosacral strain with IVDS, and sciatic radiculopathy have been remanded by the Board due to procedural issues. The initial evaluation for unspecified depressive disorder remains denied.
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