The Board has determined that the VA examinations of record are inadequate to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disorder, as they did not address the Veteran’s contentions of direct service connection and provided negative nexus opinions. The case is therefore being remanded for further examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations failed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding symptoms in service and did not provide adequate opinions on the etiology of his sleep disorder or its relationship to PTSD with alcohol dependence.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea), PTSD with alcohol dependence
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 2, 2018
- Citation
- 18123297
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18123297.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for syringomyelia and associated residuals, including sleep apnea, was granted with an effective date of April 25, 2005.,Service connection for voiding dysfunction and bowel dysfunction (associated with syringomyelia) was also granted with an effective date of January 1, 2008.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disorder, finding no current disability and no evidence of a relationship to military service. The issues related to gastrointestinal and sleep disorders were remanded for further development.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a sleep disorder, low back disability, and left lower extremity disability to ensure that VA's duty to assist is properly fulfilled.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied earlier effective dates, initial ratings higher than 30 percent for chronic adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety, depressed mood, and insomnia, and initial ratings higher than 10 percent for lumbosacral strain. The claims for service connection for various conditions were remanded.
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