The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the claims for right shoulder disability and left elbow disability due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to determine if his current disabilities are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence submitted by the Veteran, including lay statements and VA treatment records, is sufficient to reopen the claim for sleep apnea but not enough to establish service connection due to insufficient medical nexus opinions. The right shoulder and left elbow disability claims were remanded as well because of inadequate examination reports.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, right shoulder disability, left elbow disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23014533
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 23014533.
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 Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her 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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