The Board has decided that the Veteran's residuals of left ring finger fracture and pseudofolliculitis barbae are service connected. However, the Board has found that more evidence is needed to determine if the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that a remand was necessary to obtain an opinion on whether the Veteran’s obstructive sleep apnea is related to his period of active service from January 2003 to December 2004.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of left ring finger fracture, pseudofolliculitis barbae
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19148362
Veterans Law Judge
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19148362.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities require regular aid and attendance, resulting in the grant of special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance. The issue of entitlement to special monthly compensation at the housebound rate is moot.
- Denied
The Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae is denied as there is no legal authority to assign an earlier effective date, and the RO has already assigned the earliest possible effective date for the award of service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae is rated at a 10 percent disability rating, the minimum allowed under VA regulations. The condition involves less than 20% of exposed areas but does not meet criteria for higher ratings.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee condition, high blood pressure, and low back condition. Service connection was also denied for pseudofolliculitis barbae.
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