The Board remanded the case to obtain an addendum medical opinion on the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The VA needs to provide a thorough rationale for any opinion rendered.

The deciding factor: The July 2024 VA opinion was inadequate because it relied on the lack of medical evidence during service and used the wrong standard for aggravation.

Claimed conditions

obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), tinnitus, left ear hearing loss, atherosclerotic heart disease with arteriosclerotic heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

Agent Orange / herbicides

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

January 23, 2025

Citation

25000875

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine