The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's respiratory condition and sleep disorder.
The deciding factor: The opinions provided by the VA examiner were found to be insufficient, particularly in relation to the Veteran's claimed exposure to herbicides and helicopter accidents during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory Condition, Sleep Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20045374
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 20045374.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for COPD and Sleep Disorder due to insufficient development, including a lack of VA examinations or medical opinions assessing these conditions. The RO must provide such assessments.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for obstructive sleep apnea and a respiratory condition due to inadequate VA opinions regarding the etiology of his conditions, specifically whether they were caused or aggravated by service-connected disabilities. The Veteran will be provided with another VA examination to address these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need additional medical opinions regarding the onset of the Veteran's sleep disability during service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a rating of 70 percent for PTSD and denied ratings in excess of 50 percent for OSA, IBS, and headaches. The Board also granted service connection for right elbow, left wrist, neck, and left leg shin splints conditions.
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