The Board has remanded the cases of GERD and sleep apnea for additional development, as well as the right ankle disability rating issue. The Veteran's attorney submitted articles suggesting that GERD may be related to mental health conditions and stressful life events, while another article indicated that sleep disordered breathing was common with TBI.
The deciding factor: The VA will need to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran’s GERD is related to service or a service-connected condition, as well as determine if his sleep apnea is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD and TBI. The VA will also need to conduct a comprehensive examination of the right ankle disability to assess its current severity.
- Claimed conditions
- GERD, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20057875
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 20057875.
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 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.
- 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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