Sleep apnea decisions — 2018

The Veteran's sleep apnea and hypertension are remanded for additional development to confirm his periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (INACDUTRA).

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and right leg radiculopathy, but denied service connection for cervical spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and elevated cholesterol levels.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypertension due to the need for updated VA treatment records and a new medical opinion regarding whether his pre-existing hearing loss disability was aggravated during his third period of active duty service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen claims for right ear hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, and entitlement to a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran was granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) beginning May 1, 2012. The TDIU is due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to service or secondary to her service-connected bronchial asthma.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and an initial rating increase for anxiety disorder. The decision found that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between the Veteran’s current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for breathing problems, to include allergic rhinitis, is granted. The application to reopen the claim of service connection for a hiatal hernia is denied. The claim of service connection for OSA is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to the need for a more thorough examination and opinion regarding the etiology of his condition.

The Board has dismissed appeals for lack of stamina, obstructive sleep apnea, type II diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, and erectile dysfunction. Appeals for hypertension (secondary to PTSD), kidney failure, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma, hemangioma of the face, OSA, and an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD have been denied. The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen any of these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have asbestosis and that any mild intermittent asthma was not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The issues of increased rating for left elbow bursitis, service connection for cervical disability, and service connection for OSA are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his active service. The right knee disability case is remanded due to incomplete VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain is rated at 40 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of ankylosis or other conditions warranting a higher rating.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and traumatic brain injury, as they need further examination and medical opinions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has found that the AOJ did not substantially comply with its prior remand instructions and additional development is necessary to ensure due process and a complete record for the claim of an effective date earlier than December 5, 2014 for the grant of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for sleep apnea is also denied, with the examiner finding that it is not related to military service and likely due to obesity. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis is denied as there is no evidence of greater than 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides, complete obstruction on one side, or nasal polyps.

Service connection is granted for pseudofolliculitis barbae and right knee disability.,Service connection is denied for sleep apnea.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine the severity of his service-connected cervical spine, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.,Service connection claims for left knee disorder, headaches, psychiatric disorder, nausea, and vertigo are also remanded.