The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and consideration. Specifically, a medical opinion is needed regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected deviated septum and whether his TMJ is related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The opinions provided by previous examiners were inadequate as they only addressed causation but not both causation and aggravation in the case of secondary service connection for sleep apnea. For TMJ, there are missing records from the Veteran's dental surgery in 1975 which need to be obtained.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, limited motion of temporomandibular articulation (TMJ)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20047758
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20047758.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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