The Board has determined that the VA examination provided was incomplete, as it did not address both causation and aggravation aspects of secondary service connection. The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea on a secondary basis to service-connected PTSD and GERD is remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examiner only addressed causation and did not adequately discuss the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected conditions (PTSD and GERD) and his obstructive sleep apnea, which is required by law when addressing secondary service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2024
- Citation
- A24070954
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A24070954.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected left knee and left ankle conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected other specified insomnia disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 27, 2019 for the grant of service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no earlier claim document in the claims file and the Veteran did not timely perfect an appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and heart disability, including coronary artery disease, as these conditions are found to be proximately due to or the result of the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
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