Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

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

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbosacral spine strain and degenerative disease, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee meniscectomy residuals, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, right knee recurrent subluxation, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, tinnitus, and other conditions, make him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU.

The Board has determined that the medical opinions are inadequate and a remand is necessary to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the nature and etiology of sleep apnea, including whether it is related to service-connected PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD and other service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inextricably intertwined issues and requests for additional evidence, including VA treatment records and Social Security Administration disability determination records. The Veteran is also requested to provide authorization for her mental health provider's records.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient VA treatment records, inadequate examination reports, and issues raised by the July 2014 VA examiner.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, as well as any secondary service connection claims related to sinusitis, rhinitis, and pes planus. The decision is based on the need for a new VA medical opinion due to concerns about the adequacy of the previous opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to recent developments in case law regarding service connection for sleep apnea when obesity is also present. The Veteran's current diagnosis of sleep apnea may be related to his service-connected PTSD, but a new medical opinion is needed to address whether it was caused or aggravated by his PTSD and if his obesity was caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than post-traumatic stress disorder, including depression and anxiety; sleep apnea; and headaches. The diagnoses are based on the Veteran's reported symptoms and medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and evaluation of his knee disabilities, left ear eustachian tube dysfunction, and perforated ear drum due to inadequate development in prior decisions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder and any personality disorder. The Veteran's OSA is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between sleep apnea and PTSD. The Veteran's representative argued that VA failed to consider whether sleep apnea is secondary to PTSD.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and sleep apnea, finding that there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease resulting in current disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for OSA, but remanded the issues of hypertension, skin disorder, muscle and joint pain, and eye disability due to lack of sufficient evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbosacral strain but remanded the issue of service connection for a right shoulder condition due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected degenerative disc disease. Other claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development regarding chemical exposures while working in proximity to Titan II missiles. The Veteran's respiratory issues are being considered as possibly related to his service, specifically exposure to asbestos.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a sleep disorder, GERD, colon disorders, headache disorder, diabetes mellitus type II (DM), eye disorders, low back and neck disorders, erectile dysfunction, right and left carpal tunnel syndromes. The decision also denied reopening of the claim for hypertension.