The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and its relationship to his service-connected conditions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his sleep apnea as secondary to GERD, IVDS, radiculopathy, and PTSD.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examiners did not adequately address the identified deficiencies in their previous opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and its relationship to his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, lumbosacral sprain with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), raticulopathy, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20072047
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and pernicious anemia, and the Board dismissed both appeals.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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