The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, as secondary to service-connected pulmonary fibrosis, due to an inadequate VA examination and a need for additional opinions regarding causation and aggravation.
The deciding factor: The August 2021 VA opinion was found inadequate because it only addressed secondary service connection based on the finding that the service-connected pulmonary fibrosis did not cause the Veteran's OSA. The Board also noted that no opinion provided an opinion as to whether the Veteran's OSA disability was aggravated by the service-connected pulmonary fibrosis.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25045746
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 various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorders, lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, bilateral radiculopathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral radiculopathy and neuropathy of the lower extremities.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximated those associated with a 50 percent rating.
- Partly granted
The appeal for entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted, while other appeals were dismissed as untimely and remanded for further action on essential tremors.
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