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Whole decision: Denied

Service connection for depression, substance abuse, and sleep disorder has been dismissed.,Service connection for cardiovascular disorder is denied.,Service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome is denied.,Service connection for sleep apnea to include as secondary to service-connected disabilities remains pending and will be remanded for further evaluation.,Service connection for right hip disability to include as secondary to service-connected lumbosacral strain remains pending and will be remanded for further evaluation.,Service connection for left hip disability to include as secondary to service-connected lumbosacral strain remains pending and will be remanded for further evaluation.,Service connection for knee joint pain to include as due to an undiagnosed illness remains pending and will be remanded for further evaluation.,Service connection for respiratory disorder to include as due to an undiagnosed illness remains pending and will be remanded for further evaluation.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's cardiovascular disorder is not related to military service, and there is no evidence of chronic fatigue syndrome or an undiagnosed illness resulting in fatigue. The preponderance of the evidence does not support these claims.

Claimed conditions
Depression, Substance Abuse, Sleep Disorder, Cardiovascular Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Sleep Apnea, Right Hip Disability (Arthritis), Left Hip Disability (Arthritis), Knee Joint Pain, Respiratory Disorder
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
September 26, 2018
Citation
18138538

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 18138538.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

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).

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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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