The Board has determined that the VA medical opinion from May 2023 does not substantially comply with the remand directives and requires further examination to determine if obstructive sleep apnea is related to service or secondary to diabetes mellitus, as well as whether obesity contributed to the condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that Dr. F.Y.'s opinion was inadequate for adjudication purposes due to lack of consideration of relevant medical articles and Veteran's contentions.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities associated with Type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities affecting the sciatic nerve associated with Type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities affecting the femoral nerve associated with Type II diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2024
- Citation
- 24008231
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 24008231.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a direct relationship to service or toxic exposure. The Veteran's claims were based on his participation in TERA activities during service.
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