Sleep apnea decisions — 2018

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death before a decision could be made.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, high blood pressure, headaches, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been denied. The appeal is also denied as to the requests for earlier effective dates for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected PTSD, finding that there was no causal or aggravating relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and PTSD.

The Board has dismissed the appeals pertaining to sinusitis and residuals of electrical shock. The remaining issues, including service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD and depression), sleep apnea, and hypertension, are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot adjudicate the merits of the case as he is no longer alive.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, as it is unclear whether he was properly notified of the examination and additional evidence should be obtained. The Veteran contends that his sleep apnea is related to his military service or his service-connected hypertension and atrial fibrillation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, hernia secondary to lumbar spondylolisthesis L5-S1 with spondylolysis, increased disability rating for lumbar spondylolisthesis L5-S1 with spondylolysis, and TDIU due to incomplete development of the claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis and it was not related to her active duty service.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as it is proximately due to his service-connected disabilities, specifically traumatic brain injury (TBI), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). The right shoulder condition claim is remanded for further examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for chest condition, right eye condition, and headaches due to outstanding service treatment records and need for further medical examination.,No specific rating or effective date was assigned in this decision.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and his TDIU claim from October 11, 2012 to July 12, 2017 was denied due to lack of evidence showing he is unemployable because of service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis was not incurred in service and did not have a nexus to her military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to verify service dates and obtain medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions. The issues of service connection are still pending.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, tinnitus, and LBBB. The Veteran's claim for left knee and right knee disabilities is also remanded. The effective date of the increased rating for LBBB remains August 28, 2014.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, as secondary to service-connected asthma, due to insufficient opinion regarding aggravation. The Veteran and his representative have presented arguments suggesting a possible causal relationship between asthma and sleep apnea.

The Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise that the condition began during service.,Service connection for depression is denied as there is no current diagnosis of this condition.

The Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is granted because the evidence shows that OSA began during active service and there are no disputes regarding this.

The Veteran's skin conditions are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and medical opinion, as well as consideration of service treatment records and post-service VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and sleep apnea due to inadequate VA examinations. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not combine to preclude substantially gainful employment, as the VA examiners found that her conditions do not prevent her from performing sedentary work.