The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, and ptosis is remanded.,The Veteran's request for a higher rating for her service-connected eye disability (headaches) is also remanded.,The Board has granted service connection for ptosis on a secondary basis to the service-connected conjunctivitis.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish that the acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, or ptosis are related to service. The Veteran's statements and lay witnesses do not provide sufficient evidence to support these claims.,The Board found conflicting medical opinions regarding the etiology of sleep apnea and concluded that it is less likely than not related to service. The Veteran's weight gain post-service was considered in forming this opinion.,Service connection for ptosis has been granted as secondary to her service-connected conjunctivitis.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, ptosis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20045536
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 20045536.
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 remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- 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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