Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records and scheduling examinations to assess the Veteran's conditions.

The Veteran's OSA is remanded for a VA examination to determine if it began during service or is related to an incident of service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, which was previously denied due to lack of a nexus between the condition and active duty service. The Board also granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, finding that there is continuity of symptoms since service separation.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for COPD and OSA due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's atrial fibrillation is secondary to his diabetes mellitus and PTSD, and alcoholism is also secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's service records indicate he had complaints of fatigue, left wrist pain, and numbness in his left thumb. He was diagnosed with a ganglion cyst on the right wrist which required surgery. The Board finds that additional examinations are needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.,VA will conduct further evaluations to assess whether the Veteran's osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome of the left hand, and sleep apnea are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, peripheral venous insufficiency, psoriasis, and neurodermatitis (claimed as eczema) due to Gulf War environmental exposure are denied. The claim for relational problems secondary to lumbar strain myositis is also denied.,Service connection for hypertension, claimed as a cardiac condition, due to Gulf War environmental hazard is remanded.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, due to Gulf War environmental exposure, is remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claim for insomnia and sleep apnea is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for chronic sinusitis, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), but remanded the claim for sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's hearing loss is also remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has granted an initial 70 percent rating for PTSD, a TDIU based on service-connected disabilities, and denied service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions and denied reopening of his claims. However, it granted reopening of a claim for prostate cancer due to herbicide exposure and assigned an effective date of March 10, 2003.

The Board has found that a higher rating for right knee degenerative joint disease and separate ratings for limited extension and symptomatic removal of semilunar cartilage are not warranted. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to the need for an adequate VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence linking the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea to his service-connected hypertension and an in-service injury. The Veteran needs a VA examination to determine if there is at least a 50% probability that his current sleep apnea is related to these factors.

The Board has found that further development is necessary before the Veteran’s claims for sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can be properly adjudicated. The Veteran's STRs show a diagnosis of GERD during service, but no specific mention of sleep apnea. New examinations and opinions are needed to determine if these conditions were incurred in or caused by service.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and denied service connection for sleep apnea. Service connection is granted for left ear hearing loss due to in-service exposure to loud noise, while the evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient consideration of a VA OGC Opinion regarding service connection based on obesity and its relationship to obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for plantar fasciitis and sinusitis, as well as his request for an effective date of November 24, 2015, for the grant of service connection for a lumbosacral strain. The decision also denied his claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for a lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain, left knee strain, and right knee strain are all found to have been incurred in service. The Veteran's PTSD is also found to be related to an in-service personal assault.