The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions provided are inadequate and requires additional development to address the Veteran's claims for service connection. The issues of pes planus, bilateral foot disability (including degenerative joint disease), left-hand disability (other than left wrist osteoarthritis and left fifth finger sprain), bilateral knee disability, sleep apnea, right scapular pain, and dizziness are all remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided were inadequate and do not address the Veteran's reports of symptoms or provide a rationale for their negative opinions regarding aggravation. The claims must be remanded to obtain adequate medical opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- pes planus, bilateral foot disability (including degenerative joint disease), left-hand disability (other than left wrist osteoarthritis and left fifth finger sprain), bilateral knee disability, sleep apnea, right scapular pain, dizziness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2022
- Citation
- 22014188
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 22014188.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
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