The Board has remanded four issues: service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) secondary to service-connected persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress, service connection for hypertension due to in-service herbicide exposure, an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for coronary artery disease (CAD), and an effective date prior to June 2, 2014, for the award of service connection for CAD. The Veteran's OSA may be related to his service-connected depressive disorder with anxious distress, but no examiner has provided a baseline level of severity or degree of disability resulting from aggravation. Hypertension is not on the list of diseases warranting presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure, but there is now sufficient evidence associating hypertension with Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran should be afforded VA examinations to clarify these issues.
The deciding factor: The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision without additional medical opinions and records regarding the etiology of the Veteran's OSA and hypertension, as well as an examination for his CAD.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18159561
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 18159561.
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 remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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