The Board has determined that there was a duty to assist error and has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining missing records and providing an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the AOJ did not satisfy its duty to assist in retrieving information regarding the Veteran's stressor and requesting a direct medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Adjustment Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2026
- Citation
- A26023604
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 A26023604.
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 has granted service connection for the Veteran's erectile dysfunction (ED) as secondary to his service-connected chronic adjustment disorder, finding that the evidence supports this conclusion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical examinations and opinions, which may affect the determination of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's appeal of the issue regarding a total disability rating for individual unemployability prior to April 23, 2020 is dismissed. The Veteran's claim for a 50 percent rating for PTSD with chronic adjustment disorder and depressed mood from June 20, 2018 to January 8, 2020 is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's chronic adjustment disorder is currently evaluated at a 30 percent rating, and the Board has determined that this rating is not warranted for an increased disability evaluation.
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