The Veteran's appeals for service connection on all issues have been withdrawn. The Board has remanded the remaining claims of service connection for ischemic heart disease, necrotizing pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus type II, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeals for sinusitis, sleep apnea secondary to sinusitis, and soft tissue sarcoma during a hearing. The Board has remanded the remaining claims due to a duty to assist error regarding service connection based on exposure to toxic substances in Guam.
- Claimed conditions
- sinusitis, sleep apnea, soft tissue sarcoma, ischemic heart disease, necrotizing pancreatitis, d diabetes mellitus, type II, d diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, d diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2020
- Citation
- A20016319
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 A20016319.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
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