The Veteran's sinusitis was granted service connection. The Board found that the Veteran's character of discharge for the period from January 2005 to October 2008 should be remanded, as well as his claims for psychiatric disorders, cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, sacroiliac weakness, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral leg shin splints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral hammertoes, bilateral foot disorder, hypertensive heart disease, high blood pressure, emphysema, COPD, bronchiectasis, sleep apnea, maxilla oral surgery scarring, tooth loss and periodontal disease, skin cancer, facial scarring, and hemorrhoids.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's sinusitis was found to have begun in service and persisted since then. The character of discharge issue is remanded due to the confusion regarding which appeals process governed the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- sinusitis, acquired psychiatric disorder, cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, sacroiliac weakness, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral leg shin splints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral hammertoes, bilateral foot disorder, hypertensive heart disease, high blood pressure, emphysema, COPD, bronchiectasis, sleep apnea, tooth loss and periodontal disease, maxilla oral surgery scarring, skin cancer, facial scarring, hemorrhoids
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2022
- Citation
- 22039983
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 22039983.
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 case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current respiratory disability and active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the COPD was more likely due to tobacco use rather than asbestos exposure in service.
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