The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea and TDIU due to a combination of service-connected disabilities. The issues are being remanded for further medical assessment, specifically regarding whether obesity (an intermediate step) caused or aggravated by his service-connected psychiatric disorder is linked to his sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence did not sufficiently address the medical questions necessary to adequately inform appellate review of the Veteran's theory of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea on a secondary basis, based upon his service-connected psychiatric disorder. The Board also noted that there is some lack of clarity regarding whether the Veteran has an established service-connected psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Obesity, Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20055656
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 20055656.
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 service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's asthma is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim has been remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that it is secondary to her service-connected PTSD and obesity. The decision also acknowledges the Veteran's participation in a TERA during service.
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