The Veteran's hypertension and sleep apnea claims are remanded for further evaluation, including a TERA Memorandum and Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record (ILER). The Board will consider the synergistic effects of toxic exposures in service when determining the etiology of the Veteran's conditions.
The deciding factor: The PACT Act requires VA to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of sleep apnea due to confirmed service in Turkey and potential service in Saudi Arabia, as these locations are considered TERAs for purposes of the PACT Act.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2026
- Citation
- A26036401
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 A26036401.
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 claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
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