The Board granted the reopening of claims for service connection for COPD and obstructive sleep apnea, but denied the claim for diabetic retinopathy. The issues related to service connection are being remanded.
The deciding factor: New and material evidence was found sufficient to reopen the claims for COPD and obstructive sleep apnea, while no such evidence was provided for diabetic retinopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Diabetic Retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2024
- Citation
- 24001979
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial compensable evaluation of service-connected COPD to ensure a proper medical examination is conducted.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorders, lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, bilateral radiculopathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral radiculopathy and neuropathy of the lower extremities.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximated those associated with a 50 percent rating.
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