The Board has determined that additional medical records are needed and a VA medical opinion is required to address the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea. The claims for service connection for various conditions are being remanded.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary due to outstanding treatment records from the Detroit VA Medical Center beginning in 1993, and an addendum VA medical opinion on the nature and etiology of the Veteran’s diagnosed sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee condition, left knee condition, left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, right ankle condition, left ankle condition, chronic migraine headaches, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20020185
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 20020185.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- 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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