The Board has determined that additional development is required before appellate review for the issues of entitlement to service connection for various cardiovascular conditions, obstructive sleep apnea, respiratory disorder (claimed asthma), urinary disorder, and low back disorder. These matters are REMANDED.,The Veteran's claims for severance of service connection for dyshidrotic eczema were also remanded.
The deciding factor: These issues involve the need to determine whether the Veteran has current conditions that may be related to his military service, and if so, whether these conditions are service-connected. The Board found insufficient evidence in the record to make a determination on these matters without further examination or review of existing records.
- Claimed conditions
- Cardiovascular condition of the left lower extremity (LLE), Cardiovascular condition of the right lower extremity (RLE), Cardiovascular condition of the right upper extremity (RUE), Cardiovascular condition of the left upper extremity (LUE), Obstructive sleep apnea, Respiratory disorder (claimed asthma), Urinary disorder, Low back disorder, Dyshidrotic eczema (also claimed as rash /eczema bilateral feet/arch)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005314
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,242 · Granted: 24% (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 20005314.
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 Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions are aggravated by his service-connected DDD of the lumbosacral spine. The AOJ is required to obtain new medical opinions addressing this issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of persistent daytime hypersomnolence or other manifestations consistent with a compensable disability rating under the criteria established by Diagnostic Codes. The matter is remanded to obtain additional information from the Veteran regarding his headaches and their impact on his daily life.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected residuals of left foot 5th metatarsal fracture.
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