The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for high blood pressure and sleep apnea syndrome due to insufficient information regarding their onset during service, including potential diet-related issues.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs clarification on whether the elevated blood pressure reading at discharge was related to the current diagnosis of hypertension and if it is least likely as not incurred during service.
- Claimed conditions
- high blood pressure, sleep apnea syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19179590
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 arthritis of all joints from head to toe, sleep apnea, prostate cancer, high blood pressure, a right knee disability, and a left knee disability as there was no evidence of current diagnoses or etiological relationships to the Veteran's service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of service connection for hypothyroidism, diabetes type II, high blood pressure, insomnia disorder, and sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error and because these conditions may be secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected condition of hypothyroidism.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for sleep apnea syndrome was dismissed due to concurrent elections, which are prohibited under the regulations.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for anxiety, depression, PTSD, headaches (including migraines), and sleep apnea syndrome as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active duty.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.