The Board has decided that the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder, and hypertension secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder need further examination and opinion. The Veteran's testimony during his June 2018 hearing indicated he was seeking service connection for these conditions as secondary to his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the July 2016 VA examiner’s opinion is inadequate, particularly regarding the existence of a private medical opinion diagnosing PTSD and depression. The claims are therefore remanded for further examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Sleep apnea, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18142680
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 18142680.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding a causal relationship between the condition and an in-service incident of military sexual trauma (MST).
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