Sleep apnea decisions — 2017

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding it at least as likely as not that the condition began during active duty service. The Veteran's other claims have been denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are denied. The Board finds no evidence of a current disability that would warrant the assigned rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the VA examiner's opinion. The case will be further developed to determine if the Veteran's sleep apnea was caused or aggravated by his service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to insufficient consideration of the lay evidence and medical history in the claims file, as well as a lack of an in-person or telehealth examination. The case will be re-adjudicated after further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability, including a L1 compression fracture and lumbosacral spine degenerative disease, is related to his active service. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's current obstructive sleep apnea is not related to his service and does not meet the criteria for secondary service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a chondrosarcoma, finding that he does not have a current diagnosis of this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the claimed conditions, or that any such disabilities are causally related to military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current low back disability did not have its onset in service and thus, does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for residuals of a fracture of the left middle finger, hearing loss, sleep apnea, and arthritis of the hands have all been granted. The Veteran has not provided evidence that his current hearing loss disability meets VA criteria for compensation purposes.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and migraine headaches secondary to PTSD. The Veteran is now entitled to these conditions, but the effective dates need to be determined as part of a separate TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, DVT, metabolic syndrome, osteomyelitis, Achilles tendonitis, and plantar aponeurosis enthesopathy, have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to her military service or any other service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to his service or service-connected deviated septum, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain disability was rated at 10% prior to May 11, 2016 and at 20% beginning May 11, 2016. The Board found that the current ratings were appropriate based on the range of motion findings.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and an earlier effective date were denied. The Board found that the reduction in his lumbar stenosis rating was void ab initio, but did not find evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes warranting a higher rating under the criteria for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS).

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and increased the rating for left knee disability to 10 percent. The Veteran's sleep apnea is found not to be related to his in-service symptoms, while his left knee disability is rated based on painful motion.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to September 29, 2009.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current obstructive sleep apnea is incurred during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was granted. The other issues were not addressed in the decision.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea but dismissed the appeal regarding cholesterol.