The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for service-connected primary insomnia is remanded due to the need for additional evidence and consideration of whether staged ratings are appropriate.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence was received after certification of the appeal to the Board, necessitating AOJ review before further action can be taken.
- Claimed conditions
- primary insomnia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20027039
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 20027039.
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 Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an addendum medical opinion and to obtain any outstanding treatment records from Dr. Levi Kirkland.
- Denied
The Veteran's primary insomnia is productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, but does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for primary insomnia and a compensable rating for chronic mixed headache syndrome due to the Veteran's failure to attend scheduled VA examinations without good cause.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including depression, unspecified, a generalized anxiety disorder, and primary insomnia, due to duty-to-assist errors.
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