Sleep apnea decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea is not related to his period of service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have sleep apnea that was caused or aggravated by his service, or by a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbosacral spine disorders are related to his service-connected left above the ankle foot amputation residuals, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board is remanding the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and considering entitlement to TDIU. The issue of an extraschedular rating for lumbosacral spine stenosis with disc bulges at L3-L4 and L5-S1 will be considered in conjunction with the TDIU claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine is related to service, with particular emphasis on the June 2014 Reserve injury and preexisting condition aggravation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and development of claims.

The Board denied service connection for benign prostatic hyperplasia and sleep apnea, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the claims and insufficient evidence to establish a relationship between current disabilities and service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling a VA respiratory examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea.

The Veteran's low back disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy have been rated, but he is not entitled to higher ratings or a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis.

The Veteran's claims for a respiratory disability, headaches, and low back disability have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or direct service connection. The Board acknowledges the Veteran's assertions regarding exposure to environmental hazards during his military service but finds that such exposures do not support service connection.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea before a decision was made by the Board.

The Board found that the Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a diagnosis of sleep apnea related to active duty.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability for VA purposes, and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss. The issues of hypertension (claimed as secondary to diabetes), sleep apnea, and degenerative joint disease of the knees are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's OSA is found to be aggravated by his service-connected sinusitis and allergic rhinitis, thus granting service connection for OSA on a secondary basis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for adenoid cystic carcinoma of the nasal mucosa was received on August 22, 2006. The effective date is set at that time as it is not earlier than one year after separation from active duty.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because he died during the pendency of his appeal.

The Veteran wishes to withdraw his claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, which is being appealed as secondary to PTSD. The appeal has been dismissed.

The Veteran's sleep apnea was found to have its onset during active service, and the Board granted entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including new VA examinations and consideration of aggravation.