The Veteran's claims for high blood pressure, colitis, and prostate cancer residuals are denied.,The Veteran's claims for bilateral elbow disability, bilateral shoulder disability, and erectile dysfunction are remanded.,The effective dates for the grants of service connection for vertigo, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss need to be determined.,The 30 percent rating for scalp laceration needs to be reconsidered.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for vertigo and scalp laceration are remanded.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of high blood pressure or colitis, and the medical evidence does not support these claims.,The psychiatric disability is proximately due to service-connected disabilities, including vertigo, tinnitus, and scalp laceration.,The headache disability is directly related to service based on a personal examination by a private examiner.,Sleep apnea is proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability.,Polymyalgia, prostate cancer residuals, back disability, and erectile dysfunction are inextricably intertwined with other claims and require further VA medical opinions.,The 30 percent rating for scalp laceration needs to be reconsidered as it is related to service-connected disabilities.,Increased ratings for vertigo and scalp laceration need to be considered based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- high blood pressure, colitis, psychiatric disability, headache disability, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2023
- Citation
- 23066199
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 23066199.
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 claims regarding entitlement to service connection for a headache disability and entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent prior to May 29, 2014, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter for right tibiofibular ligament strain are being remanded due to the need for additional development.
- 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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