The Veteran's left shoulder disability and sleep apnea are not service connected as they were not shown to be related to his active duty. The bilateral knee disabilities and heart disability (right bundle branch block and AV nodal conduction defect) are also not service connected, with the exception of hypertension which is being remanded for further review.,The Veteran's sleep apnea was not shown to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected plantar fasciitis. The bilateral knee disabilities were not found to be related to his service-connected plantar fasciitis and pes planus. The heart disability (right bundle branch block and AV nodal conduction defect) is being remanded for further review, as are the hypertension issues.,The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities were not shown to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected plantar fasciitis with pes planus. The heart disability was found to have a congenital origin but no superimposed disease or injury during service. Hypertension is being remanded for further review as it may be related to the Veteran's pre-service periods of active duty.,The Veteran's heart disability (right bundle branch block and AV nodal conduction defect) was found not to have been aggravated by his service from June 2004 to September 2004. The hypertension is being remanded for further review as it may be related to the Veteran's pre-service periods of active duty.,The Veteran's hypertension is being remanded for further review.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show a direct relationship between the Veteran’s service and his current disabilities. The VA examiner did not find any medical research data linking plantar fasciitis with pes planus to left shoulder disability or sleep apnea.,The Veteran's sleep apnea was first reported after he retired from active duty, and there is no evidence of a relationship between the condition and service. The VA examiner found that there was no medical research data supporting a link between plantar fasciitis with pes planus to sleep apnea.,There is no direct evidence linking the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities to his service-connected plantar fasciitis, but the VA examiner did not find any aggravation of the condition during service. The heart disability was found to be congenital and not aggravated by service. Hypertension may have existed prior to service.,The VA examiner found no evidence that the Veteran's pre-existing heart disability was aggravated by his active duty from June 2004 to September 2004. The hypertension is being remanded for further review as it may be related to the Veteran's pre-service periods of active duty.,Hypertension is being remanded for further review as it may be related to the Veteran's pre-service periods of active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder disability, sleep apnea, bilateral knee disabilities, heart disability (right bundle branch block and AV nodal conduction defect), hypertension
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20028720
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 20028720.
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
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