The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The AOJ is instructed to obtain an addendum opinion from a clinician to determine if OSA is causally or etiologically related to her active service, as well as whether it was caused by or aggravated by her service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder and/or medications.
The deciding factor: The Board found the July 2022 VA examiner's opinion inadequate due to an inaccurate factual basis and lack of contemporaneous medical evidence. The AOJ is instructed to obtain a new addendum opinion from a clinician to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Chronic Body Pain, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 25, 2022
- Citation
- 22054677
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 22054677.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military 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 remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for vertigo and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's hearing loss is not rated higher than 10 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for OSA and insomnia must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and opinions, as well as a failure to obtain TERA opinions on all relevant exposures.
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