The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is reopened. The claims for osteoarthritis of the shoulders, hands, and back are denied. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is also denied.
The deciding factor: New evidence received since the last denial supports reopening the service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but there is no current diagnosis or link to in-service events for osteoarthritis of the shoulders, hands, and back. The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea claim lacks a current diagnosis.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (to include PTSD), Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Osteoarthritis of the Back, Osteoarthritis of the Hands, Osteoarthritis of the Shoulders
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19114804
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19114804.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 of entitlement to service connection for vertigo and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's hearing loss is not rated higher than 10 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for OSA and insomnia must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and opinions, as well as a failure to obtain TERA opinions on all relevant exposures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and a separate rating for chronic pulmonary embolism due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's lay statements and medical records are considered in determining whether there is a nexus between current symptoms and service.
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