The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and treatment records related to the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, chronic bilateral hand and shoulder strains. The examiner will be asked to provide an opinion on whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's period of active service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is a need for additional medical opinions due to incomplete treatment records and potential missing pre-service treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, chronic left shoulder strain, chronic right shoulder strain, chronic left hand strain, chronic right hand strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19128977
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- 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).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including GERD, chronic kidney disease, COPD, a heart condition, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, as additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemical agents during his service.
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