Sleep apnea decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary for the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral knee condition, bilateral eye condition, fractured nose (claimed as facial trauma), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and obstructive sleep apnea secondary to PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the relationship between the Veteran's sleep apnea and his service, as well as the impact of his PTSD on his weight gain. The Veteran needs a new opinion from a sleep specialist to address these issues.

The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete service treatment records from the Veteran's National Guard service. The VA needs to obtain these records using a properly completed Request for Texas National Guard Records form.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for PTSD and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examination.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a lumbosacral strain (back disability) and dismissed the issue regarding the validity of a July 29, 2015 NOD with respect to bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the service-connected back disability.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's hysterectomy and resulting residuals, finding that they are secondary to her service-connected juvenile granulosa cell tumor.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board has remanded to determine if a higher rating is warranted based on additional evidence.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issues of increased rating for right knee disability, service connection for depression, obstructive sleep apnea, kidney disability, and hypertension. The Veteran is also required to provide updated information regarding his entitlement to TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted his claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of sleep apnea and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a link between his in-service symptoms and current condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a sleep disability, originally claimed as snoring. The Board also granted the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The petition to reopen the claim of service connection for a bilateral knee disorder is granted. Service connection for thyroid, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic renal disease, erectile dysfunction, vertigo, and chronic fatigue syndrome are denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and sleep apnea are not service-connected. The case is being remanded to obtain updated medical records, schedule a VA examination for sleep apnea, and determine if there is any connection between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his current conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for obstructive sleep apnea and a gastrointestinal disorder due to the need for additional medical opinions. The issues are still under review.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral strain is remanded due to the inadequacy of the April 2014 VA examiner's opinion and the need for an addendum.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability is granted. The Board also grants the reopening of his claim for service connection for schizoaffective disorder, but remands it for further development.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, obstructive sleep apnea, and a disability manifested by constipation.,There is no evidence of any current disabilities related to the Veteran's in-service complaints or diagnoses.

The Veteran's service connection claim for sleep apnea is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinion and records.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea. The claim will be reconsidered after a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The claim for tinnitus was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence, while the claims for a sleep disorder, psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD and unspecified anxiety disorder), and tension headaches were all denied based on insufficient evidence.