The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an opinion from a sleep medicine physician regarding the relationship between the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and his service-connected GERD and/or esophageal cancer. The VA examiner also needs to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and esophageal cancer.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an additional opinion from a sleep medicine physician is needed to address the etiology of the Veteran’s obstructive sleep apnea, specifically whether it is at least as likely as not related to his service-connected GERD and/or esophageal cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esophageal cancer
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19192043
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 19192043.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and pernicious anemia, and the Board dismissed both appeals.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on the Veteran's exposure to in-service chemical agents.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as the appellant does not have a documented history of recurrent or refractory esophageal stricture(s).
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