Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Veteran's application to reopen the previously denied claim of service connection for a right ankle disability is granted. The claims for sleep apnea and lower back, right knee, and left knee disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD has been reopened, and he was granted service connection for tinnitus. The claims for bilateral SNHL, sleep apnea, upper extremity peripheral neuropathy (likely due to frostbite), and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder.

An initial 40 percent rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease, bilateral lower lumbar facet osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease and lumbosacral strain myositis is granted effective February 10, 2005.,The Veteran's major depressive disorder is rated as initially 30 percent disabling effective February 10, 2005. It is then increased to 70 percent effective March 20, 2007 and to 100 percent effective April 9, 2018.,Special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound level is granted effective November 1, 2005.,The Veteran's claim for SMC based on need for aid and attendance (A&A) is remanded. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for his lumbosacral strain and entitlement to TDIU have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increased rating or TDIU based on service-connected disabilities alone.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to have started during his military service and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his service, including Gulf War service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of evidence regarding the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and its relationship to his military service. The Veteran is required to undergo an examination to determine if there is a link between his current condition and his time in active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a heart disability, sleep apnea, and psychiatric disability due to lack of compliance with previous instructions.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and breathing problems, as well as determining if it is secondary to his service-connected sinusitis, needs further examination and review.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD from September 1, 2015 to July 10, 2016, and an extension of a temporary total rating for PTSD.

The Veteran's service connection claim for sleep apnea is being remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding the relationship between his current condition and his in-service symptoms, as well as whether it is aggravated by his service-connected conditions.

A rating higher than 40 percent for lumbosacral sprain with degenerative disc disease prior to March 9, 2016, and higher than 10 percent thereafter is denied.,An initial rating higher than 20 percent for left leg radiculopathy from March 9, 2016 is denied.,An initial rating higher than 20 percent for right leg radiculopathy from March 9, 2016 is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating due to insufficient evidence or inadequate examinations. The issues include chronic arthritis, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), and lumbosacral degenerative disc disease.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea had its onset during active service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD, but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral restless leg syndrome due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea has been reopened, and the case is being remanded to obtain a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his sleep apnea.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, but the Board finds no evidence of total social and occupational impairment. The issues of service connection for various conditions are remanded due to lack of definitive medical records.

The Board has denied service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the issues of service connection for peripheral neuropathy in both upper and lower extremities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are now pending. The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to support the reopening of his claims for PTSD and sleep apnea, but not for sarcoidosis, IHD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, DDD of the lumbar spine, or PTSD.