The Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disorders were denied as not incurred or aggravated by service.,Obstructive sleep apnea was also denied as unrelated to service. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and erectile dysfunction are currently under consideration due to their potential secondary relationship with his psychiatric condition.,The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed for the PTSD claim and for the erectile dysfunction claim.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disorders were not found to be directly related to service, as there was no evidence of chronic conditions during or shortly after service. The Board also noted that the Veteran did not have a credible history of back pain in service.,Obstructive sleep apnea was not linked to service based on the lack of relevant symptoms and normal examinations at separation. The claim for PTSD is under consideration, as it may be related to an in-service sexual assault, which requires additional evidence from sources other than the Veteran's service records.,The erectile dysfunction claim is intertwined with the psychiatric disorder claim. A new VA examination is needed to determine if there is a secondary relationship between the psychiatric condition and the erectile dysfunction.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (to include posttraumatic stress disorder), Cervical spine disorder, Erectile dysfunction, Lumbar spine disorder, Obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19164180
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 19164180.
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)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and psychiatric disorder due to incomplete information. The Veteran needs to provide his complete service personnel records, verify his alleged combat experience in Vietnam, and undergo VA examinations for both conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a causal relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of prostate cancer due to VA's failure to notify him of his April 17, 2008, elevated PSA test results and its failure to timely diagnose and properly treat his disease.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.
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