Sleep apnea decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not service-connected and his lumbar spine disability is rated at 40%.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea have been granted. The Board also found that the Veteran's hypertension and back disability are related to his active duty service, but remanded for additional development regarding increased ratings.

The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of a sleep-related disability, and thus the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea began during military service and is related to his service-connected conditions. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has reopened your claims for service connection for joint pain (claimed as arthritis), left hip degenerative joint disease, and obstructive sleep apnea with insomnia. However, these claims are still denied because the new evidence does not establish a link between your current disabilities and your military service.,Your claim of service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome due to environmental hazards of the Gulf War is not established.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the claim at this time.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied as there is no evidence of an in-service event, injury or disease causing the condition.,For ischemic heart disease from May 14, 2010 to May 3, 2015, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent due to his ability to perform a workload greater than 7 METs without experiencing symptoms and no evidence of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is not related to his active duty service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's current obstructive sleep apnea was not incurred or aggravated during his military service, including periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA). The Board found no credible evidence linking the condition to his service.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since February 25, 2015. Prior to this date, the Veteran was rated at 50 percent.,For the period prior to February 25, 2015, the Veteran is entitled to a compensable evaluation for his ventral hernia and abdominal scarring. After this date, he is no longer entitled to these evaluations as they have been increased to 20 percent and 10 percent respectively.,The Veteran's cognitive disorder (included in PTSD rating) has also been rated at 70 percent since February 25, 2015.,The Veteran is currently service-connected for PTSD, ventral hernia, abdominal scarring, and cognitive disorder. The RO has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial disability ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations, particularly regarding range of motion testing.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to insufficient VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of his obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A new examination and opinion are required.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records and a need for an examination to determine if the Veteran's current sleep apnea is related to his military service or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran is granted a 40 percent disability rating for residuals of prostate cancer from September 1, 2011. The appeal for higher ratings and TDIU are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis is linked to his in-service symptoms. The issue of service connection for sinusitis was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for increased disability ratings for lumbosacral strain and right shoulder strain was granted, with effective dates set at August 23, 2016.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen her claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain and pseudotumor cerebri with right eye visual loss, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.,Both claims were previously denied in January 1978 and August 1989 respectively. The Veteran did not submit new and material evidence within the required timeframes.

The Veteran's appeal concerning the issues of entitlement to service connection for lumbosacral spondylosis, and increased ratings for postoperative hemigastrectomy with vagotomy and gastrojejunostomy for duodenal ulcer and abdominal scars have been withdrawn. As a result, these issues are dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbosacral strain with traumatic arthritis and degenerative joint disease of the right hip, have prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment since December 19, 2005.