The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's hypertension is being evaluated based on herbicide exposure, while his erectile dysfunction and obstructive sleep apnea are not linked to any specific exposure basis.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the requested medical opinions were inadequate for evaluating the service connection claims as they did not address the updated NAS report or provide a clear opinion regarding causation and aggravation of the conditions by service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, erectile dysfunction, obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068699
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
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