The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his obstructive sleep apnea, and specifically obesity. The Veteran needs a VA opinion on these issues.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for additional medical opinions to address the causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his obstructive sleep apnea, including whether obesity was caused or aggravated by those conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with alcohol abuse and dysthymic disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21073913
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 21073913.
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 claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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