The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for bilateral foot disorders, major depressive disorder, right knee and left knee arthritis, allergic rhinitis, and headaches. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for myopia, tuberculosis, or obstructive sleep apnea as a matter of law due to his diagnosed conditions being congenital in nature. Service connection cannot be granted for skin disorders unless there is evidence of superimposed disease or injury. The Board has also remanded the claims related to major depressive disorder and bilateral knee and right-hand arthritis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any documented complaints, diagnoses, or events that could result in these conditions during service.
- Claimed conditions
- myopia, tuberculosis, obstructive sleep apnea, skin disorder (claimed as skin disorder from shaving), bilateral foot disorder, major depressive disorder, right knee arthritis, left knee arthritis, right hand arthritis, allergic rhinitis, headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2018
- Citation
- 18147379
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 18147379.
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 increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine pain, allergic rhinitis, and recurrent yeast infections. The claims for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder with alcohol use disorder and left knee pain were remanded.
- 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).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches with an initial rating of 50 percent effective from August 10, 2022, and denied the claims for service connection for a right knee disability, obstructive sleep apnea, kidney disability, low back disability, and erectile dysfunction.
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