The Veteran's claim for service connection for fatigue is denied.,The Veteran's earlier effective date claim for PTSD is referred back to the RO for consideration in the first instance.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss rating is remanded due to a possible worsening of his condition since the last examination.,The Veteran's IBS rating is remanded as there are no updated treatment records and an examination is needed to assess current severity.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability rating is remanded as he reported worsening symptoms and additional private provider records need to be obtained.,The Veteran's service connection claim for a neurological condition, secondary to his lumbar spine disability, is remanded due to its inextricability with the lumbar spine rating issue.,The Veteran's hypertension claim is remanded as an examination is needed to determine if it is related to service and/or herbicide exposure.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim is remanded as opinions are needed regarding whether it is secondary to PTSD or directly related to service.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of a separate and chronic fatigue disability during the appeal period.,The RO has not addressed the earlier effective date for PTSD on the basis of CUE in the December 2006 rating decision.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss condition may have worsened since his last examination, necessitating an updated evaluation.,There are no updated treatment records for IBS and a private provider’s surgery needs to be obtained.,The Veteran reported worsening symptoms of his lumbar spine disability and additional private provider records need to be associated with the claims file.,The neurological condition claim is inextricably intertwined with the lumbar spine rating issue, necessitating further development for both matters.,An examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's hypertension is related to service or herbicide exposure.,Opinions are needed regarding whether the Veteran’s sleep apnea is secondary to PTSD or directly related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19178059
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (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 19178059.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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