Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Board's January 10, 2019 decision that remanded the Veteran’s claim for service connection for chronic obstructive sleep apnea is vacated. The appeal for entitlement to service connection for chronic obstructive sleep apnea to include as secondary to service connected hypertension is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected chronic bronchitis was denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disability, to include as secondary to service-connected chronic bronchitis, is pending and requires further development.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and granted it, finding that his current condition is related to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine disability and an evaluation of his entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis and sleep apnea due to incomplete information about his periods of service. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which he asserts are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for low back disability due to further development and examination being necessary.

The Veteran's current sleep apnea is not related to his service, but the examiner will determine if it was aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder, left shoulder, neck, ankle, foot, and sleep apnea disorders. Service connection was also denied for diabetes mellitus and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not established during or within the applicable presumptive period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are remanded due to incomplete VA examinations and missing treatment records.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to have onset in service or be aggravated by his service-connected allergic rhinitis with residuals, status-post deviated septum. The Board resolves reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and grants service connection for sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, including symptoms of sleep disturbance, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not otherwise etiologically related to service or due to an undiagnosed illness. The Board also found no evidence of aggravation by a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea was granted. His heart murmur and aortic valve replacement were rated at 60 percent, effective from January 9, 2017. The Veteran's hypertension was denied as compensable, while his kidney disease with hypertension was denied.

Your initial increased rating for obstructive sleep apnea with COPD has been granted and is now at its maximum (100%) since October 1, 2015. The appeal was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

Rosacea is granted as service connected. Hemorrhoids are not rated compensably.,Undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness related to Southwest Asia theater of operations is remanded for further examination and opinion.,Left and right knee conditions, right elbow injury, and right shoulder condition are all remanded for additional medical opinions.,Sleep apnea is remanded for an addendum opinion regarding its onset during service or relation to in-service sleep complaints.,Residuals of traumatic brain injury are also remanded for an addendum opinion.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was not found to be related to his service, and the Board denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his service, specifically noting in-service complaints that resulted in a November 1994 sleep study.

The Veteran's request to reopen a claim for service connection of a right shoulder disability is granted. The issue of service connection for a left shoulder disability is denied.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted, with the opinion that it is at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected disabilities (CAD and diabetes mellitus).,The Veteran's request to reopen a claim for service connection of an eye disability is denied. The evidence does not support the presence of any current eye disability.,Service connection for hypertension is denied, with no competent evidence of a diagnosed condition.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims for service connection, including Gulf War Illness, memory loss, joint pain, cervical spine disability, chronic fatigue, sleep apnea, skin rashes, and headaches. The remand is due to insufficient medical evidence or need for additional examination.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding his claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, lumbosacral thoracic strain and spondylolisthesis (claimed as a back condition), and insomnia disorder and intermittent explosive disorder (claimed as PTSD).

The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for further examination and review of records to determine if it is related to his service.