The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors in the November 2020 rating decision. The psychiatric claim, HIV and psoriasis secondary claims, and TDIU issue are all related and must be addressed together.
The deciding factor: There were inconsistencies in the diagnostic findings and insufficient reasoning for the examiner's opinion regarding PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety/depression), Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Psoriasis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26018546
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 A26018546.
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 determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities, but further medical opinion is needed to determine if any of these conditions were related to his active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations to determine the current severity of his service-connected psoriasis and bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death was cardiopulmonary arrest due to aspiration, and they have found a duty to assist error in their initial decision. They are now requesting a medical opinion to determine if the service-connected conditions contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Veteran's basal cell carcinoma with residual scars, psoriasis, and keratoacanthoma were granted service connection as they resulted from sun exposure during service.
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