The Board has remanded the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for GAD and a TDIU claim due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. Specifically, the AOJ is required to attempt to obtain private mental health treatment records from non-VA providers.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not attempting to obtain relevant private medical records and remanded for these actions.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2026
- Citation
- A26023998
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 A26023998.
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 failure to obtain records from Holly Hill Hospital. The Veteran was previously denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including GAD.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial rating for service-connected GAD was denied, as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's GAD with PDD resulted in occupational and social impairment, warranting an initial rating of 70 percent.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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