The Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and cervical spine degenerative disc disease are remanded due to inadequate pre-decisional duty to assist errors.,The Veteran's secondary service connection claim for bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy is also remanded as the AOJ failed to identify and develop a potential intermediate step of obesity as an intermediate factor in causing his OSA. The toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) associated with the Veteran's service locations prior to August 10, 2022, is also remanded.,The Veteran's claim for TERA related to burn pit exposure is remanded due to inadequate pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
The deciding factor:
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2026
- Citation
- A26019479
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A26019479.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
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