Sleep apnea decisions — 2007

The veteran is seeking service connection for sleep apnea that she claims is secondary to her service-connected schizophrenia. The Board has determined that the current VA examination report is inadequate and requires further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a new VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for vocational rehabilitation training under Chapter 31, finding that he did not have an employment handicap and thus did not meet the criteria for basic entitlement.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the reopening of the veteran's claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain and cervical strain.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a relationship between his current condition and his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection in multiple instances, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen his claim of chronic paranoid disorder with seizures. The other service connection claims were also denied.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a nexus between the veteran's histiosarcoma with lymph node metastases and his military service, including exposure to herbicides or other toxic substances. Therefore, service connection for this condition was denied.

The veteran's service-connected right knee disability is causing or aggravating his left hip, left shoulder, and cervical spine disabilities. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the nature of these secondary conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether service-connected conditions contributed to the veteran's death from adult respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, obesity, and sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of the veteran's claims, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling appropriate VA examinations.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain and remanded it for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for such an increase.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and consideration of all applicable rating criteria, including those in effect prior to September 26, 2003.

The veteran is seeking service connection for sleep apnea on a direct basis and secondary to his service-connected allergic rhinitis/sinusitis. The case must be remanded for further development, including obtaining an opinion from a physician regarding the relationship between the veteran's current diagnosis of sleep apnea and his military service or service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and arranging for a VA examination.

The veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for migraine headaches, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, and lumbosacral strain are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has granted a 60 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected lumbosacral degenerative disc disease with radiculopathy, and has also found that he is entitled to a TDIU based on his service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence received since the last supplemental statement of the case, and further review is needed before a final decision can be made on the claims for service connection for sleep apnea and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical and lumbosacral disc diseases have been remanded due to the need for a more current VA examination, as well as for obtaining SSA records.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current sleep apnea is not related to his service, including his presumed exposure to Agent Orange herbicides. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his cervical and lumbosacral spine disabilities, as well as his right shoulder instability and plantar fasciitis. The veteran's current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.