Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Veteran's right wrist condition is related to his service-connected right ankle disability.,The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is attributable to a service-connected disability (unspecified depressive disorder).,The Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder originated during his active service.

The Board denied service connection for left and right knee disabilities, right ear hearing loss, and sleep disorder. The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70% effective July 11, 2013.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as it was not incurred or aggravated by service, and the Veteran's current condition is unrelated to his service-connected myofascial syndrome with degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the increased rating for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, so the case is dismissed.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for bone cancer, lumbosacral spine disability, and splenectomy as there was no adequate substantive appeal filed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to service or a service-connected condition, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The claim for service connection for coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure was reopened due to new evidence provided by the Veteran, but the issues of sleep apnea and TDIU are still pending.

The Board has determined that additional examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's service-connected diabetes has aggravated his peripheral neuropathies in all extremities, and to address whether there are any other issues related to these conditions. The claims for service connection will be remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee disability and sleep apnea disability, but has remanded the issue of service connection for GERD.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions alone did not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment prior to September 11, 2012.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as service-connected. The Veteran's hernia claim is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's appeals for COPD, sleep apnea secondary to CAD, hypertension secondary to CAD, bilateral hearing loss, and CAD are being remanded due to the Veteran requesting to participate in VA’s test program RAMP. The case will be returned to VBA for a RAMP rating decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, bilateral cataracts, OSA, TBI with dementia, and peripheral neuropathy are all denied. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service exposure to herbicide agents or a nexus between these conditions and active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his military service. The case will be returned for further examination and analysis.

The Veteran's service records do not show any diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, and his current condition is not considered to be due to an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness.,His sleep disorder was diagnosed post-service and is not considered to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's depression is granted as secondary to her service-connected obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his major depressive disorder and spinal conditions, rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment as of December 21, 2016.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disorders, including as secondary to service-connected bilateral shoulder disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient opinions regarding his sleep apnea and peripheral neuropathy, as well as a need for an earlier effective date for TDIU.

The Veteran's cervical spine injury is not related to his military service.,There is no evidence that the Veteran’s sleep apnea began in or is related to his active duty service.,The preponderance of the evidence does not demonstrate a link between the Veteran’s heart disease and his service-connected psychiatric disorder.,The Veteran's stomach problems, also claimed as ulcers, did not begin during service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or illness.,There is no current diagnosis of right ear scars due to a head injury. The claim must be denied.,Residuals of the head injury do not have a link to service and were not caused by it.,The Veteran's migraines are not related to his residuals of a head injury.