Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

The Veteran's sinusitis is granted a 30% rating, but no higher, for the period prior to May 9, 2018. The Board also remanded several other claims due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, sleep apnea with exercise-induced asthma, right shoulder rotator cuff tear residuals, peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, cerebrovascular accident residuals, and seborrheic dermatitis. The remand includes obtaining updated medical records, scheduling examinations for each condition, and determining appropriate ratings.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it did not have its onset during or within one year of service and is not otherwise causally related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased ratings due to lack of recent VA examinations and the Veteran's assertion that his conditions have worsened.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent and probative medical evidence linking her current diagnosis to her military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied. The rating for left shoulder bursitis and bicep tendonitis status post-surgery, lumbosacral strain prior to April 4, 2019, and radiculopathy of the lower extremities were all denied or had their effective dates extended.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of sleep apnea, finding that there is no evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for lumbosacral strain was denied, and her claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance or housebound status was also denied.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for various conditions due to the absence of an adequate substantive appeal. The issue of service connection for headaches, related to Gulf War Illness, is remanded.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a sleep disorder, but has remanded it for further development and an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of his sleep disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric condition has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining all SPRs and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his alleged psychiatric condition and sleep apnea.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation during the appeal period.

The Board has remanded the claims for accrued benefits and substitution of claimant due to a request from the appellant. The issues will be reconsidered after determining if the appellant is qualified as a substitute.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise, and therefore grants service connection for sleep apnea secondary to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is associated with his service-connected PTSD, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition as secondary to PTSD.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for OSA, GERD, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and major depressive disorder) due to insufficient evidence regarding their onset during service or relationship to service.

The Veteran's Graves' disease and thyroid disability are granted as secondary to his service-connected multiple myeloma. The other conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and sleep apnea have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence.

The claim of service connection for OSA is reopened due to new and material evidence. The issues of rating PTSD, service connection for COPD, and service connection for OSA are remanded.

The appeal for service connection for leukopenia is dismissed. The appeals for service connection for right shoulder osteoarthritis, left shoulder osteoarthritis with chronic tendonitis and impingement syndrome, plantar fasciitis of the left foot, right knee chondromalacia of the patella, and sleep apnea are remanded.