Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to conflicting diagnoses and lack of clarity on whether his right ankle injury could have caused or aggravated his back conditions.

The Board has determined that additional examinations and evaluations are needed for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, as well as to address his claims regarding PTSD and major depressive disorder. The appeals will be remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss is not rated higher than the current noncompensable level.,Right ear hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's low back disorder, diagnosed as lumbosacral strain, is related to his military service.,Resolving all doubt in the Veteran’s favor, his sleep apnea began in service.

The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to his death prior to the issuance of an appellate decision.

The Veteran's service-connected hepatitis C, lumbosacral disc degeneration with narrowing, diabetes mellitus, and PTSD are all denied. The Veteran is not granted higher ratings for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to missing records from the Moncrief Army Medical Center. Additionally, an SOC is needed on issues of increased ratings for knee conditions, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and service connection for hammertoes, sleep apnea, toe fungus, sinusitis, rhinitis, hearing loss, tinnitus, fibromyalgia, cervical spine disability, left shoulder disability, left forearm disability, right shoulder disability, and right forearm disability.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is found to have begun during his active duty service.,The Veteran is determined to be unemployable due to his service-connected back and left foot disabilities, effective March 26, 2014.

The Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches and chronic facial pain are causing his sleep deprivation, which he claims is equivalent to sleep apnea. The Board has ordered a new medical opinion to address the relationship between these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, adjustment disorder with disturbance of emotion and conduct, and obstructive sleep apnea have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence. The claim for an initial compensable evaluation for pseudofolliculitis is also being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claims are granted for osteoarthritis of the shoulders, knees, OSA, hypertension, CHF, diabetes, and PTSD.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to service and the claim for this condition has been granted. The evaluation of his left foot disability remains pending.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for asthma was granted. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence in the VA opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether it first manifested during service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left knee condition, right knee condition, and obstructive sleep apnea due to new evidence received since previous decisions. The lumbar spine and cervical spine conditions remain under review.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, lumbar spine disability, and a lower extremity disability (manifested by bilateral leg numbness) due to lack of evidence supporting the claims. The Veteran's current conditions are not considered related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for sleep apnea and denied the claim as there is no evidence that current sleep apnea disability is related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the condition did not have its onset during active service and was not caused or permanently aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's PTSD and obstructive sleep apnea have been granted service connection, with the latter being secondary to his service-connected asthma.,PTSD was established based on a credible in-service stressor of an earthquake. Obstructive Sleep Apnea was found to be related to his service-connected asthma.

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