Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Board has reconsidered the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, type II, PTSD, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, residuals of a recurrent anal fissure, sarcoidosis with sleep apnea, hypertension, hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disorder, and cyst removal scar. The claims are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's preexisting retinitis pigmentosa was aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for new VA examinations and additional medical opinions regarding his right ear hearing loss and sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's sleep disorder, specifically whether it is related to service or secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to address these issues.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining missing records related to his service connection and TDIU claims.

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD has been reopened and granted, with a 50% rating effective as of an earlier date. Other claims remain pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of evidence, particularly regarding his PTSD, right knee DJD, skin disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding his TBI, sleep apnea, and acquired psychological condition.

The Veteran's appeals of service connection for joint and muscle aches, memory problems, right knee disability, left knee disability, sleep apnea, and acquired psychiatric disability have been dismissed.,New evidence received since the August 2008 denial has reopened the claim of service connection for headaches.

The Board has found the Veteran's sleep apnea is less likely than not due to or aggravated by his service-connected anxiety disorder. The claim for secondary service connection is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was diagnosed during his active service and is considered to have started there. The Board has granted the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbosacral spine disability was denied, and the reduction from 60 percent to 20 percent effective July 1, 2009, was upheld.

The Veteran's degenerative changes of the lumbosacral spine are currently rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum rating available under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is granted, as the evidence is in equipoise and all doubts are resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction and has remanded the issues of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen claims of entitlement to service connection for venous embolism and thrombosis of deep vessels of proximal lower extremities, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and stomach problems; and entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for the claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, to include as secondary to a service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of sleep apnea, vascular disease, and diabetes mellitus type II before a decision was made.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and sleep apnea. The Veteran will need to undergo additional examinations to determine if his conditions are related to his military service.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and lumbar spine strain, but granted a TDIU. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.