Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable prior to March 11, 2019 and 20 percent from that date. The claim for hypertension has been remanded due to the need for a VA examination.,Service connection for rosacea was granted with a 10 percent rating effective February 8, 2018. The Veteran is seeking an increased rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence on whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his military service. The Veteran will need a VA medical examination to determine if there is a link between his current condition and his time in service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete service treatment records and a need to clarify the type of hearing requested by the Veteran's representative.

The Board has granted service connection for atrial fibrillation as secondary to service-connected coronary artery disease. The claim of service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to the need for a medical opinion.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and medical opinion regarding the Veteran's spine disability. The Veteran must be provided with a new VA examination to determine if his current spinal condition is related to service.

The Veteran's right foot plantar fasciitis with heel spur was granted a temporary increased rating of 20 percent from December 18, 2017 to November 18, 2018. The condition is now denied for higher ratings. Service connection for secondary neurologic disability and TDIU are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and anxiety disorder) and hypertension.

The Veteran's sleep apnea was not shown to have started during his active service or National Guard duty. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for sleep apnea.

The Board has denied a higher rating for major depression and has remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to psychiatric disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current obstructive sleep apnea is at least as likely as not related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea was denied as the evidence did not show that he filed a timely claim prior to April 22, 2014.

The Board has decided that the evidence is insufficient to determine if the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to service, and therefore remands the case for a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease with lumbosacral strain is currently rated at 20 percent and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating or TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his lumbosacral strain, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities are denied. The claim for TDIU prior to March 15, 2016 is also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and arthritis of the spine are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their relationship to his service-connected cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's migraine headaches, hypertension, and sleep apnea are all service-connected. The Board has remanded the cases for further examination to determine if these conditions had their onset in or are otherwise related to service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it is at least as likely as not that his condition had its onset during active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the most probative evidence does not support a relationship between his current sleep apnea and his military service or any service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed. The claim for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability, rated as degenerative arthritis of the spine under DC 5242, is denied.

The Board has restored the 20 percent rating for the service-connected lumbosacral strain (back disability) effective from June 10, 2015. The initial and increased ratings for the left knee and left ankle disabilities remain denied.