Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to issues related to his psychiatric disorder, ACoA aneurysm status post craniotomy, cognitive deficits and dementia, headaches, and obstructive sleep apnea. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional in-service records and provide medical opinions regarding the onset and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and endometriosis due to outstanding VA treatment records, potential SSA records, and a need for clarification from the November 2019 VA examiner regarding the aggravation of preexisting conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, and ptosis is remanded.,The Veteran's request for a higher rating for her service-connected eye disability (headaches) is also remanded.,The Board has granted service connection for ptosis on a secondary basis to the service-connected conjunctivitis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia and sleep apnea have been granted. The issue of a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD has also been addressed, with the Veteran receiving a full grant of his reduction request. However, the TDIU claim remains pending as additional evidence was added to the file.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for OSA, finding that there is no medical evidence linking his current OSA to his military service or any service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's diagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as having had its onset during his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. Service connection for PTSD, low back disability, and sleep apnea was denied due to lack of a confirmed in-service stressor or relationship to service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasons in its January 2019 decision regarding service connection for sleep apnea, which is now being reviewed with an independent medical expert.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for psychiatric disorders, sleep disorders, and musculoskeletal conditions have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the claimed in-service events or exposures.

The Veteran's appeal is denied for an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis, left hand and finger disability, lumbar degenerative disc disease and arthritis, medial synovitis and medial plica syndrome of the left knee, anterior pain syndrome of the right knee, other stressor and trauma related disorder, psoriasis and dermatitis, obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), diarrhea, and lung condition. The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary before the claim of service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus type II can be fully adjudicated.

The Veteran's claims for service connection related to headaches, OSA, insomnia, and tinnitus have been reopened. The VA has granted these claims.,A rating of 20 percent for lumbar spine spondylosis (lumbar spine disability) is restored.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of sleep apnea due to inadequate examination in September 2019. A new VA examination is needed.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for headaches and sleep apnea due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives. The Veteran's current headache disability is not related to his service-connected disabilities, while the claim for sleep apnea requires further examination as the November 2019 VA examiner did not address earlier findings that reflect sleep apnea or another sleep disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), hypertension, erectile dysfunction, residuals of prostatitis, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, tremors, acquired psychiatric disorder, and skin condition due to incomplete examinations and lack of exposure information.

Your claim for service connection for sleep apnea has been granted, and you are now receiving benefits. The appeal is dismissed as the issue has already been resolved in your favor.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to obtain medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to service, his service-connected traumatic brain injury with neurocognitive disorder, or weight gain due to service-connected disabilities and/or medications.

The Board has remanded the claims for sleep impairment, hypertension, and acquired psychiatric disorder due to new evidence suggesting a possible secondary relationship with service-connected diabetes mellitus.,Further examinations are needed to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it had its onset in service and is related to his conceded environmental exposures during his Southwest Asia deployments.

The Board has remanded this claim due to an inadequate April 2017 VA examination, which did not assess the degree of additional range of motion lost due to pain on use or during flare-ups. A new examination is needed.