The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for unspecified headaches and remanded issues related to a rating increase and service connection for sleep condition, including obstructive sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support an earlier effective date as there was no formal or informal claim prior to February 26, 2020. A remand was necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and SSA records.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified headaches, sleep condition, to include obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25026542
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left upper hand tremors, right upper hand tremors, a stomach condition, and a sleep condition as they are not related to the Veteran's service or any service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for anxiety, depression, and a sleep condition due to a duty to assist error regarding proper notice of scheduled VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for right hip strain was granted a 10% evaluation, but no higher. The claims for service connection for a sleep condition and compensable evaluations for left knee, right knee, and right hip disabilities were dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a sleep condition, left shoulder bursitis, left wrist CTS, right wrist CTS, upper back condition, lower back condition, and right shoulder bursitis as there was no evidence of current disability or nexus to military service.
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