The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to deficiencies in previous VA opinions and lack of contemporaneous medical records.
The deciding factor: Previous VA opinions were deficient, and there are no contemporaneous medical records documenting complaints or treatment related to the claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Thumb Disability, Skin Condition, Cervical Spine Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), Gout in Bilateral Big Toes and Feet, Bilateral Elbow Disability, Bilateral Ankle Disability, Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2021
- Citation
- 21077094
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 21077094.
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 has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected left knee and left ankle conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected other specified insomnia disorder.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and heart disability, including coronary artery disease, as these conditions are found to be proximately due to or the result of the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
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