Sleep apnea decisions — 2014

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for an automobile and adaptive equipment, specially adapted housing, or special home adaptation grant.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU effective October 16, 2007 due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and snoring, hypertension, and disabilities of the knees as they are not shown to be related to military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, and skin disorder of the feet. The evidence does not support an in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his active service and the claim for service connection has been granted. The TDIU claim will be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was granted effective from October 12, 2005. The earliest date on which the grant of service connection could be assigned is also October 12, 2005.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea, tinnitus, hearing loss, tinea pedis of the hands, and skin disability of the feet are not related to his active duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for pseudo folliculitis barbae and denied service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and found that the Veteran's current diagnosis is related to his military service. The issue of service connection for arthritis of the bilateral hips remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease and joint disease is service-connected, with a grant of service connection. For his right knee patellofemoral chondromalacia, he was granted an initial rating of 10 percent.

The Veteran's currently diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea is as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and found that the Veteran's current symptoms are related to his active military service. The issue of a rating in excess of 10 percent for Posner-Schlossman glaucoma is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's irritable colon syndrome has been rated at the maximum schedular disability rating of 30 percent for the entire period on appeal, and his low back, left lower extremity neuropathy, and right lower extremity neuropathy disabilities have not resulted in a TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for her service-connected back disability was granted with an effective date of April 1, 2010. The effective date is based on the VA examination conducted in July 2012.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbosacral strain was granted, and he is now rated at 20 percent. His service connection claim for a psychiatric disorder as secondary to his low back disability was also granted.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection and increased ratings for various joint disabilities, as well as a claim for TDIU. The Board has ordered additional development to address these issues.

The Veteran's low back disabilities, diagnosed as a lumbosacral spine strain and lumbosacral spine sprain, were incurred in active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including medical examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current sleep apnea had its onset during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations, the issuance of a statement of the case regarding service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and aortic valve stenosis, and the inextricability of his TDIU claim with these issues.