The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and his service-connected Type II diabetes mellitus or PTSD. The examiner is requested to provide a detailed opinion on whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is at least as likely as not caused by, or aggravated by, his service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and his service-connected Type II diabetes mellitus or PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, Type II diabetes mellitus, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19177159
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 service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- 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).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error.
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