The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for asthma and hearing loss, as well as his claim for service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence in the record. The Veteran is required to provide additional medical records and undergo examinations to determine the current severity of his asthma and the etiology of his sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there were insufficient medical records available to make a decision on the claims, particularly regarding the PFT results for asthma and the nature and etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea. The Board also noted that VA must provide a medical examination when there is evidence of a current disability, an in-service injury, some indication of association with the established event, and insufficient competent evidence to make a decision.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss in the left ear, Asthma, Sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19179082
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a low back disability, residuals of a right foot injury, sinusitis, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis, and sleep apnea as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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