The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for a new medical opinion to determine if it is related to service or his service-connected hepatitis C. The issues of higher initial ratings for various joint disabilities and radiculopathy are also being remanded.
The deciding factor: A new medical opinion is needed to address the Veteran's claim for sleep apnea, as the previous opinion was inadequate due to insufficient rationale provided.
- Claimed conditions
- Sleep Apnea, Psoriatic Arthritis with Polyarthralgia, Arthritis of the Lumbar Spine, Arthritis of the Cervical Spine, Right Elbow Arthritis, Left Elbow Arthritis, Left Shoulder Arthritis, Right Shoulder Arthritis, Left Little Finger Arthritis, Left Ring Finger Arthritis, Arthritis of the Left Long Finger, Arthritis of the Left Index Finger, Arthritis of the Left Thumb, Right Little Finger Arthritis, Right Ring Finger Arthritis, Arthritis of the Right Long Finger, Arthritis of the Right Index Finger, Arthritis of the Right Thumb, Left Knee Arthritis, Right Knee Arthritis, Right Hip Arthritis, Left Hip Arthritis, Right Ankle Arthritis, Left Ankle Arthritis, Left Upper Extremity Radiculopathy (Sciatic and Femoral Nerves), Right Upper Extremity Radiculopathy (Sciatic and Femoral Nerves), Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy of the Sciatic Nerve, Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy of the Femoral Nerve, Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy of the Sciatic Nerve, Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy of the Femoral Nerve
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2022
- Citation
- 22031716
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 22031716.
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 Veteran's claim for a higher rating prior to August 12, 2013 was denied as his right knee disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5003.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating from April 1, 2016 was denied as he is already receiving the maximum allowable disability rating of 60 percent for total right knee replacement.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions at the time of the June and August 2025 decisions. The cases will be returned to the AOJ for further development.
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