The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, hypertension, sleep apnea, and idiopathic hypersomnia (claimed as narcolepsy) secondary to his service-connected asbestosis. The VA is instructed to obtain all outstanding records and provide addendum opinions addressing the etiology of each condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the existing medical opinions were incomplete and did not adequately address whether the Veteran's conditions are caused or aggravated by his service-connected asbestosis, leading to a remand for further examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, sleep apnea, idiopathic hypersomnia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19147425
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 an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- 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).
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