The Board has determined that the August 2021 rating decision on appeal did not adequately address the Veteran's claim for service connection of DM2 as secondary to Sleep Apnea and Somatic Symptom Disorder. The matter is being remanded to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated obesity, which in turn may have caused DM2.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the August 2021 rating decision did not adequately address the theory of secondary service connection raised by the Veteran and his expert witnesses regarding obesity as an intermediate step between service-connected Sleep Apnea and Somatic Symptom Disorder and DM2.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes Mellitus type II (DM2), Sleep Apnea, Somatic Symptom Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 24, 2024
- Citation
- A24060172
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 A24060172.
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 service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's asthma is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim has been remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection claims have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for PTSD, denied service connection for CFS, mast cell activation syndrome, and sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD, and remanded TDIU.
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