The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding his claimed disabilities.
The deciding factor: The evidence is unclear as to whether or not the Veteran has a current diagnosis of sleep apnea and/or his sleep disorders are a symptom of his service-connected major depressive disorder with anxious distress. Additionally, there is insufficient competent medical evidence on file for VA to make a decision on the claims related to respiratory conditions, neck disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, left pectoral muscle injury, thoracolumbar spine disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and left ankle disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Sleep Disorder (including sleep apnea and sleep disturbance), Respiratory Conditions (including asthma-like symptoms and difficulty breathing), Neck Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, Left Pectoral Muscle Injury, Thoracolumbar Spine Disability, Right Knee Disability, Left Knee Disability, Left Ankle Disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2023
- Citation
- 23058097
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 23058097.
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 service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
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