The Board denied service connection for morbid obesity, including as due to service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine. The claim for ulnar neuropathy of the right wrist and rating for lumbosacral spine disability is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's morbid obesity was not considered a disability for VA adjudication purposes, as per precedent opinions from OGC and court precedents.
- Claimed conditions
- morbid obesity, ulnar neuropathy of the right wrist, lumbosacral spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2018
- Citation
- 18147267
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 18147267.
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 has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbosacral spine disability and for TDIU based on that condition due to inadequate examination. The case is being returned for further development.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between the condition and active duty service or any other factor.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for further medical examination and opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and his service, including gas chamber training, as well as any aggravation of the condition by other service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is proximately due to or has undergone any incremental increase in disability due to his service-connected mental health, back, and shoulder disabilities.
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