The Board has granted service connection for gouty arthritis of both feet. The case is being remanded to address the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee arthritis, COPD, sleep apnea, and ratings in excess of 10 percent for right and left foot gout.
The deciding factor: Additional development is necessary to confirm the presence or absence of gouty arthritis in either or both knees, assess the etiology of COPD and sleep apnea, and determine appropriate disability ratings for gout in each foot.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot arthritis, right and left knee arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18125488
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 18125488.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
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