The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back pain and a lung condition were denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service. The claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, right lower extremity neuropathy, left lower extremity neuropathy, and obstructive sleep apnea was also denied as there is no evidence showing they are related to service.,The Veteran's lung condition (asthma) may be connected to cold exposure during a trip to Alaska in 1971. However, the VA examiner found that his current asthma did not stem from this incident and was more likely due to other factors.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the Veteran's diagnosed conditions (low back pain, lung condition, diabetes mellitus, neuropathy, and sleep apnea) to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back pain, Lung condition (asthma), Diabetes mellitus, Right lower extremity neuropathy, Left lower extremity neuropathy, Obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19131386
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 19131386.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
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- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of persistent daytime hypersomnolence or other manifestations consistent with a compensable disability rating under the criteria established by Diagnostic Codes. The matter is remanded to obtain additional information from the Veteran regarding his headaches and their impact on his daily life.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected residuals of left foot 5th metatarsal fracture.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
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