The Board has remanded two issues related to hypertension and erectile dysfunction, as they are secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran must be provided with another VA examination to determine if these conditions were incurred in or caused by his military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hypertension and erectile dysfunction are being remanded because the current evidence does not establish whether they are related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, which is a requirement for secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea, back condition, eye condition
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20003303
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.
- 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).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
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