The Board has determined that the evidence is insufficient to resolve whether the Veteran's service-connected other specified trauma and stressor related disorder caused or aggravated his obesity, which in turn led to his obstructive sleep apnea. The case is being remanded for further clarification of this issue.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions are inadequate as they do not address the full history of weight gain prior to deployment and fail to consider all relevant factors including the Veteran's service treatment records, post-service treatment records, and previous VA and private examinations regarding the etiology of his OSA.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), other specified trauma and stressor related disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2024
- Citation
- A24073990
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,044 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
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 A24073990.
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 Veteran's OSA is granted as service connected. The Veteran's infectious disease claim and stomach disability claim are remanded for further examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in obtaining relevant medical records and authorization for private treatment providers. The issues include heart disorder, OSA, sinusitis, lumbar spine disorder, and right knee disorder all related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with persistent depressive disorder and insomnia.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals regarding service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.
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