The Board has decided to remand the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives, and that corrective action is necessary. The AOJ should arrange for an addendum medical advisory opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea (OSA).
The deciding factor: The February 2019 examiner did not address whether the OSA was aggravated by a service-connected disability, specifically chronic idiopathic pleurisy.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea (OSA)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19188882
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 19188882.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of July 9, 2020 for the grant of service connection for sleep apnea (OSA), but no earlier.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions, including lumbosacral strain, tinnitus, right knee disability, chronic fatigue syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, bilateral hearing loss, sciatica and lumbar radiculopathy, sleep apnea, and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
- Dismissed
The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for service connection for sleep apnea (OSA), and the Board has dismissed this issue.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea (OSA) and denied a rating in excess of 70 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while dismissing appeals for service connection for limitation of motion of the ankle, hypertension, tinnitus, and insomnia.
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