The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and service personnel records. A sleep apnea examination will be conducted to determine if the condition began in service or is related to service. An acquired psychiatric disorder examination will also be conducted to determine if any current psychiatric disability is related to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's reports of symptoms during service, combined with a current diagnosis of sleep apnea and an opinion indicating that it may have had its onset in service, necessitate further development including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations. The same applies to the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder as there is conflicting evidence regarding whether PTSD was present in service.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive disorder, and adjustment reaction with mixed emotions
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2016
- Citation
- 1619679
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 1619679.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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