The Veteran's GERD and insomnia were denied as service connection was not established due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,Service connection for spinal stenosis, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, and headaches (migraines) is remanded as the Board found the provided medical opinions inadequate.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners failed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset of his conditions during service.,The VA examiners did not adequately address the Veteran's lay statements and instead relied on evidence outside of their own examination, such as the Veteran's separation reports.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Insomnia, Spinal stenosis, Sleep apnea, Erectile dysfunction, Headaches (migraines)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21072656
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 21072656.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Dupuytren's contracture of the left hand, right hand, and GERD is remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and failure to consider toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's GERD is currently rated at 10 percent disabling, but the Board found that his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), finding that both conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lower back condition and sinusitis, respectively.
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