Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

The Veteran's OSA and bilateral shoulder disabilities are granted as they were caused by his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma but remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea secondary to asthma due to incomplete examination and treatment records. The Veteran's claim will be returned for further development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the spine with lumbosacral strain is remanded due to insufficient evidence from the previous VA examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's VA treatment records and his VR&E files, as these documents are relevant to the issues on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is not caused by an event, injury or illness during active service and is not proximately due to, the result of or permanently made worse beyond its natural progression by his service-connected PTSD or related gunshot residuals. Therefore, service connection for obstructive sleep apnea has been denied.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left hand disability due to her withdrawal at the hearing. The other issues are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for left ankle condition, lumbosacral strain, and acquired psychiatric disorder due to potential aggravation by service-connected right ankle condition. The VA examiners are instructed to provide opinions on whether these conditions were caused or aggravated by the right ankle condition.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and remanded the issue of service connection for a left knee disability as secondary to psoriasis.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic kidney disease with essential hypertension and bronchial asthma, COPD, and obstructive sleep apnea, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The case is remanded for further examination and rating considerations.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient or conflicting medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of service connection for a right thumb disorder and sleep apnea due to additional development being required.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for residuals of a right thumb injury, but the case is remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding service connection for sleep apnea and to assess the severity of the right thumb disability. The issues of TDIU are also being addressed.

The Veteran's left knee meniscal tear with arthroscopic repair is granted service connection.,Service connection for a respiratory disorder and sleep apnea are granted, but the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and major depressive disorder) remains pending due to insufficient evidence at this time.,The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is granted, and the case is remanded to determine if it is secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for headache disability and sleep apnea have been reopened, but the Board has determined that new evidence is needed to fully adjudicate these claims. The Veteran's headaches may be related to his service-connected sinusitis or now service-connected sleep apnea. Increased ratings are also requested for left and right ankle pain and sinusitis.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for a lumbar spine condition, finding that the appellant's current conditions are not related to an in-service injury and were more likely due to his age. The L5 sacralization was determined to be a congenital defect.

The Board has found that additional development is needed before the claims can be adjudicated on the merits. The RO must attempt to obtain VA treatment records from Overton Brooks VA Medical Center and private medical providers, including Dr. M. Dhawan in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability and residuals of heat stroke due to inadequate opinions in the original VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and COPD, finding that the earliest date of claim was August 15, 2012 for sleep apnea and November 25, 2014 for COPD.

The Board has remanded the claims for rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, and diabetes mellitus due to insufficient evidence regarding their onset or etiology. The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis is presumed to have been caused by contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune.