The Board remands the claim for an addendum medical opinion to address whether the Veteran's obesity, a known risk factor in causing his OSA, was caused or aggravated by service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The April 2022 and May 2023 VA opinions did not address whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his obesity, which is a key factor in determining the etiology of his OSA.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25023648
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claims for urinary frequency disability and residuals of a cholecystectomy were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial increased rating for diabetes mellitus type II and remanded the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, right shoulder strain with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and tendinitis, cervical spine spondylosis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, and thoracolumbar scoliosis and lumbar spine degenerative changes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea as it requires further development and evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), to include as secondary to GERD, for further development and a new VA medical opinion.
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