Sleep apnea decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease was not earlier than April 8, 2012.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and awarded a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD, the highest available under VA's rating criteria.

The Board has granted service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and bilateral osteoarthritis of the knees, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran seeks to establish service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, which he contends is secondary to his service-connected PTSD with general anxiety disorder and unspecified depressive disorder. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's sleep apnea and his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is being remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his condition, as well as whether it is related to service. The appeal will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, heart condition, sleep apnea, and memory loss disability as they are not etiologically related to his active service.

The Veteran is found unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to service-connected disabilities, specifically PTSD, sleep apnea, and ankle strain. The Board grants the TDIU.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to have had its onset during service, and the Board grants service connection for this disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and obstructive sleep apnea are being remanded to obtain additional medical records, particularly from his VA treatment in New York prior to 2002. The AOJ must also attempt to obtain private emergency room records from the 1990s where the Veteran reported breathing problems.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to procedural defects, specifically the failure to issue a statement of the case for his claims of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, left knee disability, confusion, lack of concentration and depression (claimed as Gulf War illness), and chronic fatigue syndrome (claimed as Gulf War illness).

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA medical opinion on whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is due to in-service herbicide-agent exposure and a VA examination to determine the existence and etiology of any identified bilateral lung nodules and/or calcified pleural plaques.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder is service-connected, and his sleep apnea is secondary to this condition. The Board finds no evidence of asbestos exposure or other conditions related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed bilateral loss of vision is not related to service and denied his claim.

The Board denied all increased rating claims for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete opinions regarding the etiology of sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction, which are service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected PTSD and grants the claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran submitted new and material evidence to reopen her claim of service connection for retinitis pigmentosa, which was previously denied in 1984. The Board determined that the presumption of soundness did not apply because the issue had already been decided on its merits.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea did not have its onset in service and is not related to his service-connected PTSD. Therefore, the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is denied.

The Veteran's sinusitis and OSA are rated as residuals of his service-connected nasal surgery. The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for sinusitis, a separate 50 percent rating for OSA, and denied a compensable rating for the deviated septum.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's loss of balance is a symptom of his service-connected bilateral chronic otitis media with postoperative residuals, scar. Therefore, he does not have a separate disability for which service connection can be granted.