The Veteran's appeal of the denial for sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD is remanded. The timeliness of his appeals regarding joint and muscular pain, DDD of the lumbar spine, lumbar radiculopathy of both lower extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim for sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD requires a medical nexus opinion. The timeliness of his appeals regarding other conditions is unclear due to the untimely submission of his VA-9 form.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, joint and muscular pain and other symptoms as due to an undiagnosed illness; DDD of the lumbar spine; lumbar radiculopathy of both lower extremities; peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2016
- Citation
- 1646408
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 1646408.
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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