The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is not related to his military service, despite his exposure to burn pits. The right and left upper extremity numbness are being remanded as there were deficiencies in the VA examination provided.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not obtain necessary studies such as EMG or imaging, which could have provided a more definitive opinion on the nature of the Veteran's symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Right Upper Extremity Numbness, Left Upper Extremity Numbness, Right Knee Disability, Left Knee Disability, Bilateral Leg Disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2024
- Citation
- A24042268
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 A24042268.
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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