The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including sleep apnea, vascular and/or lymphatic diseases of the lower extremities, hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and major depressive disorder. The issues include determining whether these conditions are secondary to other service-connected disabilities or otherwise etiologically related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that VA examinations were inadequate for assessing the Veteran's sleep apnea, vascular diseases of the lower extremities, hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, and major depressive disorder. The examination reports did not address whether these conditions are secondary to other service-connected disabilities or otherwise etiologically related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, vascular and/or lymphatic disease of the right lower extremity, vascular and/or lymphatic disease of the left lower extremity, hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 28, 2022
- Citation
- 22018271
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 22018271.
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 Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- 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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