Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is related to his active service and granted service connection for OSA.

The Board has determined that the effective date for the grant of a separate 10 percent rating for cranial nerve VII due to Frey Syndrome should not be earlier than March 2, 2015. The Veteran's claims for service connection and higher ratings are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and OSA as secondary to PTSD due to insufficient evidence of a verified in-service stressor. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to the absence of a current disability. The Veteran's claim for TDIU was granted, and his claim for sleep apnea is remanded.,Service connection for sleep apnea is remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding its etiology.

The Veteran's breast scars were granted service connection as they were present during active duty and subsequent to service. The Veteran was also granted increased ratings for her right ankle disability, hypertensive heart disease, hypertension, exploratory laparoscopic right salpingo oophorectomy for right ovarian cyst, left foot cyst and bunionectomy, and endometriosis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing records and additional medical evidence is needed. The issues of left shoulder, low back, and left knee disabilities are related to National Guard duty time which needs to be verified. The psychiatric disorder claim requires additional treatment records and a VA examination. Sleep apnea and hypertension are inextricably intertwined with the psychiatric disorder claim.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and the Board finds that it is not related to his service-connected PTSD. The claim for service connection is therefore denied.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea was reopened and granted. The evidence supports the Veteran having a current disability, symptoms during service, and a link between his condition and military service.

The Veteran's claims for stress, asbestos exposure, and psoriasis have been denied. The Veteran has hypertension, gout, obstructive sleep apnea, and headaches that need to be evaluated further.,The Veteran is not entitled to increased evaluations for his service-connected right and left ankle disabilities due to the lack of non-weight-bearing testing in the VA examination report.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of a sleep disorder, increased ratings for PTSD and IHD, hearing loss, tinnitus, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no evidence to support a nexus between his current diagnosis and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates are remanded due to the need for VA examinations. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it may be inextricably intertwined with other issues.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for lower back disability and remanded the claims for sleep apnea. The case is now pending further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's appeal is dismissed. His increased rating claim for right knee replacement with residual scar was withdrawn, and his service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea has been reopened due to new evidence but denied.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is found to be at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by her service-connected PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder.

The Veteran's OSA is remanded for further evaluation and a medical opinion regarding its etiology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for gastritis, IBS, anemia, and sleep apnea have been reopened. However, the Board denied these claims as there is no evidence to support a link between her current conditions and her service-connected depressive disorder.

The Veteran's appeal regarding effective dates earlier than August 7, 2016 for service connection for various conditions was denied.,The Veteran's appeals regarding initial disability ratings were either not addressed or remanded.

The Veteran's hypertension is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted. The matter of service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to lack of an etiological opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to additional evidence submitted after the initial decision.