The Veteran's right ankle strain is rated 20% and remanded for further evaluation of his erectile dysfunction, obstructive sleep apnea, lumbar spine disability, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to service-connected disabilities and service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected PTSD are both remanded. The Veteran's ED is not found to be proximately due to his service-connected conditions, but the examiner will need to provide an opinion on whether it was aggravated by them.,The Veteran’s lumbar spine disability remains at 20% and a VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of his left lower extremity radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The right ankle strain rating needs to be reviewed due to new evidence indicating marked limitation of motion. The issues with erectile dysfunction and obstructive sleep apnea require further evaluation as they may be related to service-connected conditions.,Service connection for ED and sleep apnea are remanded because the current opinions do not address whether these conditions are proximately due or aggravated by service-connected conditions.,The lumbar spine disability remains at 20% but a VA examination is needed to assess left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle strain, erectile dysfunction (ED), obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19153238
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19153238.
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
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