The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for insomnia, as secondary to her service-connected sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is remanded due to an inadequate VA examination. The Veteran must be provided a new VA examination to determine if she has a current diagnosis of insomnia and whether it is related to her service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examination was internally inconsistent, as the examiner did not diagnose the Veteran with insomnia but opined that it is less likely than not aggravated by her service-connected sleep apnea and GERD.
- Claimed conditions
- Insomnia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19187309
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 19187309.
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 insomnia, fatigue, gallstones, varicose veins, anemia, colitis, and PTSD due to a lack of evidence supporting the claims.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) but denied service connection for PTSD and a higher rating for the unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder/major depressive disorder/insomnia.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a separate 50 percent initial rating for insomnia as secondary to tinnitus, and denied an increased rating for tinnitus. The Board also granted service connection for headache disability, low back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine disability, and right upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for insomnia, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and polycythemia vera were dismissed due to procedural issues. The remaining claims are remanded for further development.
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