The Board has denied service connection for a heart disability and remanded the issues of service connection for a back disability and sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive, central, mixed) secondary to posttraumatic stress disorder. The case is being returned to the agency of original jurisdiction for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence of heart impairment or current diagnosis of a heart disability, thus denying service connection for that disability. For the back and sleep apnea issues, additional medical examination and opinion are needed to determine if there is a relationship between these conditions and service or other relevant factors.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart disability, Back disability, Sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive, central, mixed)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20037069
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 20037069.
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 of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a heart disability, finding that the Veteran's current heart diagnoses are not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
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