The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea, heart disability, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy, due to inadequate medical opinions regarding obesity as an intermediate step between the Veteran's service-connected TBI with nose fracture and these claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current evidence is insufficient to establish a nexus between the Veteran's service-connected TBI with nose fracture and his claimed disabilities, particularly in light of the inadequate medical opinions regarding obesity as an intermediate step.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Heart Disability, Diabetes Mellitus, Type II, Diabetic Chronic Kidney Disease, Stage III, Right Lower Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Left Lower Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Right Upper Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Left Upper Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2025
- Citation
- A25043167
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.