The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for right wrist disability and back disability, but denied service connection for both conditions. The claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of sleep apnea, colorectal cancer and small intestine resection, olecranon spur, right elbow, and bilateral hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The Board has determined that new evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for right wrist disability and back disability. However, the claims are being remanded as additional medical opinions are needed regarding the nature and etiology of sleep apnea, colorectal cancer and small intestine resection, olecranon spur, right elbow, and bilateral hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Right wrist disability, Back disability, Sleep apnea, Colorectal cancer and small intestine resection, Olecranon spur, right elbow, Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 7, 2018
- Citation
- 18124630
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 18124630.
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 Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
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