The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus and hypertension due to insufficient medical opinions provided by a private clinician. The VA will need to provide an addendum opinion addressing whether the service-connected PTSD or OSA caused or aggravated the Veteran's hypertension and diabetes.
The deciding factor: The March 2020 private opinion is inadequate as it relies solely on general articles without discussion of the Veteran's specific case, and the June 2018 VA opinions are also inadequate for not addressing all theories of entitlement (including PTSD causing or aggravating the conditions).
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2023
- Citation
- 23066742
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 23066742.
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 claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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