The Veteran's cervical spine disability is not related to his military service and is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's right leg meralgia paresthetica is not related to his military service and is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's sleep apnea is less likely than not related to his service-connected disabilities, specifically diabetes and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).,The Veteran's headaches are not related to his shell fragment wound in his neck.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion as to whether the residuals of the shell fragment wound aggravated the cervical spine disability.,The VA examiner found that meralgia paresthetica is a syndrome of numbness, paresthesia, and dysesthesia over the lateral thigh in the distribution of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve of the thigh. The Veteran's shell fragment wounds to the right thigh are located over the medial and anterior aspect of the thigh rather than the lateral thigh.,The VA examiner stated that diabetes mellitus does not cause meralgia paresthetica, but it is a separate peripheral nerve condition from his meralgia paresthetica. Therefore, the examiner concluded that it is less likely that the Veteran’s meralgia paresthetica has been aggravated by his diabetes.,The VA medical opinion did not discuss whether the Veteran's shell fragment wound in his neck caused or aggravated his sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disability, Right leg meralgia paresthetica, Sleep apnea, Headache (migraine)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109868
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19109868.
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 Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent, the maximum rating available under the General Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The evidence does not support a higher rating as his range of motion did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for brain cancer, low back disability, and cervical spine disability due to a pre-decisional error in failing to obtain a radiation dose estimate from the Under Secretary for Health. The Veteran's military service aboard USS ENTERPRISE is considered relevant to his exposure to ionizing radiation.
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