The Board has remanded the claims for rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, and diabetes mellitus due to insufficient evidence regarding their onset or etiology. The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis is presumed to have been caused by contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: Insufficient competent evidence to establish that the Veteran’s rheumatoid arthritis had its onset during service or manifest within one year of separation, and no opinion on whether it was related to contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20022176
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 20022176.
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 rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- 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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