The Board has denied service connection for sleep apnea and a sleep disorder other than sleep apnea, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or related to active duty. The Veteran's claims for sinus and respiratory disorders are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding potential exposure to toxins.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have diagnosed sleep disorders or a respiratory disorder linked to his service, despite his assertions of such.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, a sleep disorder other than sleep apnea, sinus disorder (including allergic rhinitis and sinusitis), respiratory disorder (to include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and a nodule on the lung)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2018
- Citation
- 18143760
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 18143760.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a direct service connection opinion and an adequate secondary service connection aggravation opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
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