The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bipolar disorder and insomnia due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran needs to undergo a VA examination to determine if his psychiatric disorders are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to adjudicate the claim without a VA examination, which is necessary to establish whether the Veteran's psychiatric disorders are related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bipolar disorder, insomnia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2026
- Citation
- A26003504
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 A26003504.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection of insomnia was denied, and the effective date is set to the date of receipt of the claim (May 31, 2024).
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia and alcohol use disorder caused his sleep apnea.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the claims of entitlement to a compensable disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for anterior uveitis, right eye, and service connection for restless leg syndrome, RLE. The claim for service connection for insomnia is dismissed as moot because it was granted with an effective date based on the date of the Veteran's application.
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