The Board has determined that further action is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea, as well as to obtain additional VA treatment records. The claims for higher ratings for DM II with cataracts, PVD of the right and left lower extremities, and bilateral hearing loss are also remanded due to lack of recent evaluations. Additionally, a TDIU claim is remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that additional evidence is needed to determine whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to service or secondary to his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, type II diabetes mellitus (DM II), peripheral vascular disease (PVD) of the right lower extremity, peripheral vascular disease (PVD) of the left lower extremity, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19167537
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 19167537.
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.
- 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).
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and no competent evidence linking the condition to service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
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