The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for persistent depressive disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The issues are related to the severity of his mental health conditions and their impact on his employment.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous reasons and bases for denying the Veteran's claims were inadequate and remanded them for additional development, including obtaining retrospective medical opinions regarding the nature and severity of his persistent depressive disorder and whether his prescribed medications caused or aggravated his obstructive sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- Persistent Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2026
- Citation
- 26000354
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 26000354.
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 service connection for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress was granted, effective January 17, 2024. The Board has now granted an earlier effective date of May 31, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's persistent depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, the highest available rating under the General Formula for Mental Disorders. The other issues have been denied.
- Dismissed
Your previously granted service-connected acquired psychiatric disability, characterized as PTSD with persistent depressive and insomnia disorder, now represents a full grant of the benefit sought on appeal. The appeal is dismissed.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of persistent depressive disorder was denied as the earliest date of claim is January 29, 2010.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his persistent depressive disorder was also denied. The current assigned rating of 70 percent has been in effect since at least December 2012.
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