The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD and/or DM, type II. The Veteran was provided with a VA examination but the examiner did not provide sufficient information on causation and aggravation.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examiners' opinions were inadequate to determine whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is proximately due or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD and/or DM, type II. The Board also noted insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between OSA and DM type II.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Diabetes Mellitus, type II
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19181679
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 obstructive sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claims for urinary frequency disability and residuals of a cholecystectomy were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial increased rating for diabetes mellitus type II and remanded the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, right shoulder strain with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and tendinitis, cervical spine spondylosis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, and thoracolumbar scoliosis and lumbar spine degenerative changes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea as it requires further development and evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), to include as secondary to GERD, for further development and a new VA medical opinion.
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