Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea but remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent for a lumbar strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, service connection for a gastrointestinal disability (presumably due to herbicide exposure), and service connection for sleep apnea (due to herbicide exposure or as secondary to PTSD).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating determinations due to procedural issues, lack of medical nexus opinions, and need for additional evidence. The effective date issue remains unresolved.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to privacy request issues and missing VA medical records from 1990 to 1997. The claims for bilateral knee pain, lumbar spine spondylosis and degenerative disc disease, and an earlier effective date are also being remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service sleep difficulties and snoring. The claim was reopened due to new evidence provided since the previous denial.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea. The case is remanded for a VA examination to assess the current severity of his back strain, including flare-ups, and an addendum opinion on whether his sleep apnea is secondary to PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected deviated nasal septum.

The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's appeal for full body skin rash. The claims for service connection for hypertension and lumbar spine disabilities have been reopened due to new evidence submitted since the September 2005 rating decision. However, the claim for residuals of gall bladder removal remains denied as there is no material evidence supporting a secondary service connection theory.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and set the effective date to June 1, 2014, which is the day following the Veteran's discharge from active duty. The decision also grants a rating of 100%.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for lumbar spine disability and sleep apnea due to incomplete records, particularly his 2005 separation examination. The AOJ is instructed to obtain all outstanding records and attempt to connect the current conditions to service.

The Veteran's back disorder and left arm/elbow disorder are granted service connection, while his sleep apnea claim is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The tunica vaginalis cyst of the left scrotum was granted, but the other conditions remain denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea due to incomplete compliance with its previous remand directives.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar disability, left knee condition, and right knee condition were denied. The Veteran was granted a 10 percent rating for each of his left and right knee conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for her lumbosacral strain is remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examination.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings and earlier effective dates for MDD and sleep apnea have been dismissed due to the absence of an adequate substantive appeal.,The Veteran also withdrew his claims for TDIU, which are not part-and-parcel of these increased rating claims.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore the claim for service connection for cause of death is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disorder and sleep apnea have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a left knee disability and remanded his claims of service connection for sleep apnea and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.