Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

The Veteran's employment during the pendency of the appeal prevented a determination on his claim for TDIU prior to January 17, 2018. The Board denied the claim as he failed to provide necessary evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development and readjudication due to inconsistencies in the evidence and need for clarification of certain issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence and a need for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural issues and the need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's sleep apnea. The Veteran is seeking a reduction in his disability rating, but the issue of whether his sleep apnea is caused or aggravated by his strokes remains unresolved.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including a lack of records search for Agent Orange exposure in Korea and SSA disability benefits records.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and left knee disability due to duty-to-assist errors. A VA medical examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and duty-to-assist errors. The claims will be reviewed again with additional medical evidence and expert opinions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, coronary artery disease, and a skin disorder (claimed as plaque parapsoriasis of the upper body) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's osteomyelitis is granted a 100% rating, and the issue of an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability is remanded. The extraschedular rating issue is also remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, effective February 14, 2011. The case is remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether OSA had its onset during or is otherwise related to the Veteran's period of active service, and thus grants service connection for OSA.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current condition is linked to his symptoms during service.

The Veteran's combined disability ratings for service-connected disabilities are higher than the rate payable for nonservice-connection pension, making the claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits moot and dismissed.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to her military service or a service-connected disability. The claim was also denied for a stroke due to lack of evidence linking it to any service-connected conditions.,Both claims were denied as there was no credible evidence supporting the Veteran's assertions regarding the onset and causation of these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle disability and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no evidence of current disabilities or in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a sleep disorder, including sleep apnea and insomnia. The Board found that there was no evidence of an increase in severity of pre-existing hearing loss during service and that there is no credible evidence linking the current sleep disorder to service.

The Veteran's gastrointestinal, respiratory, psychiatric, hearing loss and tinnitus, lumbar spine, shoulder, hand, hip, knee, ankle, and foot disabilities are being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II, is remanded due to a need for further development and examination.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain has increased in severity, and he requests an additional VA examination to determine the current severity of his condition. The Board finds that a remand is necessary due to the lack of recent medical records and the need for another VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and reduction of the rating for rhinitis were denied. The Board found that his anxiety disorder, sinusitis, rhinitis, bilateral hearing loss, hemorrhoids, appendectomy scar, right middle finger scar, and TDIU claims did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities.