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.,The Veteran's claims for 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 PTSD, leading to its dismissal.,Service connection for heart disease is denied because there is no current diagnosis or medical evidence supporting the presence of a heart disease disability.,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 for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus.,Service connection for teeth loss is remanded due to lack of current evidence or medical opinion supporting the presence of a dental disability.,The Veteran's claims for high blood pressure and low testosterone are also remanded as they are intertwined with his claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus.,The remaining claims (right knee disability, low back stiffness, and bilateral hearing loss) are remanded due to the absence of current medical evidence or a VA examination addressing these conditions.
- 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
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 various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- 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.
- 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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and no competent evidence linking the condition to service.
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