The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his service in Southwest Asia. Additional development, including a VA examination and review of medical records, is needed.
The deciding factor: The examiner must determine if the Veteran’s obstructive sleep apnea was caused by any incident of his service in Southwest Asia, specifically exposure to smoke from oil fires, burning trash, feces, vehicle fumes, tent heater smoke, and other fuels during his deployment in March 2004 to March 2005.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19125736
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 service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, chronic rhinitis, and obstructive sleep apnea. The headache claim was remanded for further examination.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine disability, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left foot crush injury, and sciatic radiculopathy of both lower extremities, also secondary to the newly service-connected lumbar spine disability. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for depressive disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder and a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis.
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