The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including headaches and gastrointestinal issues, as well as bilateral elbow, knee, back, and lower extremity disabilities. The remand requires a Gulf War examination to address these claims.
The deciding factor: The Court instructed the Board to obtain an adequate medical examination addressing the Veteran's claimed Gulf War exposure-related symptoms and to consider pertinent medical literature submitted by the Veteran regarding PTSD and sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- headache condition, gastrointestinal (GI) disability, left elbow disability, right elbow disability, back disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left lower extremity disability, right lower extremity disability, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19189615
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 19189615.
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 service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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