The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to potential in-service assault and other medical issues. The Veteran will need a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric, lumbar spine, and obstructive sleep apnea disabilities.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the possibility of an in-service assault and the need for further development regarding the Veteran's service connection claims due to potential aggravation or causation by other conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder, obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2020
- Citation
- A20015498
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a liver condition, finding it to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.