Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is rated as 30 percent disabling. The Board denied a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks.,Service connection for the right shoulder disability, lumbar spine disability, and left foot disability was not granted because new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.,The Veteran's sleep apnea is not causally related to his military service. Service connection for migraines was also denied due to lack of causal relationship with military service.,,,

The Veteran's appeal of the increased rating for PTSD is dismissed. The issue of service connection for hypertension, secondary to service-connected disabilities, is remanded.

The Veteran is unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, sleep apnea, patellofemoral pain syndrome of the knees, and gastritis. The Board has granted entitlement to TDIU based on this evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an objective medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his military service. The case will be sent back for a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for an additional medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused him to become obese, which in turn may have contributed to his sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claims for right thumb sprain, COPD, and flatfeet have been denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.,Sleep apnea, right knee instability (post-meniscectomy), right knee degenerative arthritis (post-meniscectomy), and left knee tendinitis are remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disability, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine and lumbar radiculopathy, is related to service. As a result, the claim for service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims for service connection can be adjudicated on the merits. This includes obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new and material evidence, as well as other issues related to his PTSD claim. The VA is instructed to obtain all relevant records, including SSA records, and schedule a VA psychiatric examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding both direct service connection and secondary service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's symptoms of loud snoring during basic training are noted, but an addendum opinion is needed to address these issues.

The appeals for service connection of bilateral tinnitus, hypertension, anxiety disorder, depression, and migraine headaches have been dismissed.,The appeal for an increased rating for the service-connected mood disorder as secondary to degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine has been remanded.

The Veteran's sleep apnea was first diagnosed in service and is considered to have been present since then, warranting service connection.

The Board has found a duty to assist error occurred prior to the February 2019 rating decision and remanded for an addendum medical opinion that addresses all relevant evidence of record, including an August 2017 private medical opinion.

Tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,Bilateral hearing loss, bronchitis, residuals of thyroidectomy, obstructive sleep apnea, and migraine headaches are remanded for further development.,An acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and service, as well as the relationship of any psychiatric disorder to service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases of anemia and sleep apnea for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to determine if these conditions are related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathies, obstructive sleep apnea, and erectile dysfunction are all granted as service-connected. The Veteran’s prostatitis is dismissed due to pre-existing status. The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50% for PTSD remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including heat stroke, sleep apnea, hip disorders, hypertension, and prostate cancer, were denied. The Board found no current diagnoses or in-service events that would support these claims.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for irritable colon syndrome, chorea with seizures and convulsions (previously claimed as epilepsy), myasthenia gravis, and sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence regarding current diagnoses or persistent symptoms. The Veteran's representative asserts that his neurological symptoms are related to his migraines and psychiatric disorders.