Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service-connected sciatica of the right lower extremity is currently rated at 20 percent, and her lumbosacral spine disability prior to February 22, 2020, and thereafter, is rated at 40 percent.,The preponderance of evidence does not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's sleep apnea and its relationship to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted. The case is remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and an addendum medical opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for OSA, but the issues of PTSD and fatty organs are remanded due to incomplete records and need further investigation.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is proximately due to his service-connected disabilities, and thus grants service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and extraschedular considerations are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to be related to his military service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions and outstanding VA treatment records. The claims include service connection for sleep apnea, COPD, a respiratory disorder including asthma, and a nerve disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep apnea disability is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service onset or causal link to active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of sleep apnea has been reopened, and he is granted an initial 70 percent rating for PTSD. The AOJ improperly combined his scar and laceration disabilities, reducing the 20 percent rating to 10 percent.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Board finds the Veteran entitled to service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected asthma and sinusitis, but remands for a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for cervical spine DDD and sleep apnea, as well as a rating in excess of 0 percent for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's appeal is currently pending.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as due to the Veteran's service-connected recurrent perirectal abscess, finding that his service-connected condition aggravated his OSA.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, thus the claims for service connection and evaluation of a left kidney cyst are dismissed.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's sleep apnea may be related to his service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed mood, but more evidence is needed for a final decision.

The Board has granted reopening of the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, but denied the claim itself due to lack of evidence linking current diagnosis to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for sleep apnea, hearing loss, and lower nerve pain radiculopathy due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's appeal of the denial of service connection for sleep apnea was not timely filed, and thus the appeal is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including sleep apnea, asthma, chronic recurring sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, dysautonomia, and chronic headaches, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted the claim for TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea, headaches, and tinnitus to obtain a VA medical opinion assessing whether these conditions are secondary to his service-connected PTSD.