The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to the need for additional development, including obtaining outstanding private treatment records and an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: A remand is necessary to obtain outstanding private treatment records and an addendum opinion exploring various theories of entitlement.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder disorder, cardiac disorder (atherosclerosis), bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral pes planus, acquired psychiatric disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastroenteritis, respiratory disorder (recurrent aspiration pneumonia), dental disorder for compensation purposes as residual to head trauma, cervical spine disorder (secondary to service-connected degenerative disc disease and intervertebral disc syndrome, status-post spinal fusion, retained L5-S1 hardware), bilateral elbow disorder (tendinitis), skin disorder (pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB)), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), bilateral eye disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 29, 2025
- Citation
- 25007268
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and pernicious anemia, and the Board dismissed both appeals.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on the Veteran's exposure to in-service chemical agents.
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