Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for gout, chronic laryngitis, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, and sinusitis. The issues of entitlement to initial ratings for residuals of a right hand fourth finger fracture have been granted.,Additional examinations are needed to determine if any of these conditions are secondary to a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, sleep apnea, COPD, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected conditions. The VA examiners found no causal relationship between these disabilities and the service-connected conditions.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an additional VA medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected PTSD and his claimed sleep apnea disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded her from securing and following substantially gainful employment since September 19, 2016.

The Board has granted a 20 percent disability rating for the Veteran's back disability, effective from August 21, 2019. The left leg radiculopathy is rated at 10 percent and remains unchanged.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and sleep apnea. The claims were reopened due to new and material evidence, but the Board found no current diagnosis of these conditions and insufficient medical evidence linking them to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as due to service-connected PTSD, finding that there is no evidence showing a causal relationship between the Veteran's OSA and his PTSD.

The issues of service connection for neck, right shoulder, left shoulder, hypertension, and sleep apnea disorders have been dismissed.,The issues of initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, left ankle strain, and right ankle tenosynovitis have been dismissed.,The issue of a rating in excess of 60 percent for urinary incontinence associated with neurogenic bladder and fistula of the bladder or urethra has also been dismissed.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability and reopened his previously denied claim of service connection for a back disability. The Board found that the Veteran's current disability is at least as likely as not related to an injury he sustained during military service.

The Board has granted a TDIU effective from April 16, 2016, based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented her from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation prior to that date.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, sleep apnea, headaches, ankle disorders, hip disorders, shoulder disorders, neck disorder, grand mal seizure, and right knee disorder have been granted. The effective date is not specified.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions and the need for additional records, including Social Security Administration records. The Veteran's low back disability is being examined again to determine its relationship to service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis and in-service symptoms support a determination that his condition had its onset during military service.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is not service-connected as there is no current diagnosis and the condition did not manifest during or within one year after service.,Hypertension was not incurred in service, as it first appeared many years post-service. The claim for hypertension is denied.,An acquired psychiatric disorder (likely related to a traumatic brain injury) is also not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking the condition to active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches due to a lack of an opinion regarding whether the condition is secondary to his service-connected left knee disability. The Veteran must be scheduled for a VA examination to address these issues.

The Board has denied service connection for hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and sleep apnea. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's kidney disease, edema, right foot disorder, left foot disorder, and other conditions.,Service connection was not granted for kidney disease due to insufficient evidence linking it to military service or exposure to methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Further examination is needed.

The Veteran's death prevented the appellant from being substituted as claimant, and thus his appeal for substitution was denied.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The cervical degenerative disc disease (DDD) claim is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding whether it was aggravated by his service-connected chronic lumbar fibromyositis.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, and lower back disability. The claims are granted as entitlement to service connection is established for these conditions.