The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is dismissed.,Service connection for heart disease is denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, numbness of the left fingers, numbness of the right fingers, a left foot condition, a right foot condition, and numbness on the right side (described as right leg numbness) are remanded.,Service connection for teeth loss is remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for high blood pressure (hypertension) is remanded.,Service connection for low testosterone is remanded.,Service connection for a right knee disability (claimed as a weak right knee), a low back disability (claimed as low back stiffness), and bilateral hearing loss are also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to substantiate his claim of service connection for PTSD.,There is no current diagnosis of heart disease in the medical records, and the Veteran has not provided a current diagnosis or supporting evidence.,The claims for sleep apnea, numbness of the left fingers, numbness of the right fingers, a left foot condition, a right foot condition, and numbness on the right side (described as right leg numbness) are remanded because they are intertwined with the claim of service connection for type II diabetes mellitus.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for teeth loss is remanded due to lack of current evidence or supporting medical records.,The claims for high blood pressure and low testosterone are also remanded as they are intertwined with the claim of service connection for type II diabetes mellitus.,The claims for a right knee disability (claimed as a weak right knee), a low back disability (claimed as low back stiffness), and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to lack of current evidence or supporting medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee chondromalacia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), heart disease, sleep apnea, numbness of left fingers, numbness of right fingers, left foot condition, right foot condition, numbness on the right side (described as right leg numbness), teeth loss, high blood pressure (hypertension), low testosterone, right knee disability (claimed as a weak right knee), low back disability (claimed as low back stiffness), bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20001914
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,454 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20001914.
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's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
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