Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

The Veteran's sleep apnea is rated at 50% and a TDIU is granted due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for OSA as secondary to PTSD and for an increased rating for PTSD. The VA examinations need to address whether OSA is related to military service or caused by PTSD, and if so, whether it is aggravated by PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there is no evidence to support a direct relationship between her current sleep apnea disability and her military service. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish secondary service connection based on her service-connected thyroid condition or other disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain was denied, and his TDIU claim was granted. The Board found that the Veteran’s disability did not meet the criteria for an extraschedular TDIU due to the adequacy of the schedular ratings.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a sleep disorder to include sleep apnea and exclude narcolepsy, but denied the claim as there is no evidence of a chronic sleep disorder other than narcolepsy during the appeal period.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and further development is required.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for her service-connected lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that his current condition is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected pericarditis with sinus tachycardia, allergic rhinitis, and asthma. The Board also noted that the Veteran’s morbid obesity was a significant risk factor for the development of sleep apnea.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to address secondary service connection for sleep apnea and a separate claim for residuals of a deviated nasal septum. The Veteran's statements about in-service nose injuries are considered, along with an examination.

The Veteran's headaches and wrist disabilities are not service-connected due to lack of in-service onset or continuity, and the Board finds no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,Obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension have been remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine stenosis, sleep apnea, bilateral lumbar radiculopathy (claimed as bilateral lower extremity numbness), acquired psychiatric disorder, and headaches, all secondary to his service-connected left and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's death was caused by a myocardial infarction, which the Board finds is at least as likely as not due to his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities.,The Veteran meets the criteria for a TDIU from May 2, 2011.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis did not have its onset during service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.

The Veteran's lumbar strain disability is being remanded for further examination and rating. Other service connection claims are also being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as the evidence did not show it was incurred in or due to service, including his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate opinions and need for further development of records.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected mood disorder and sinusitis with headaches. The Veteran's lumbar spine strain with arthritis was restored from a 20 percent rating to a 10 percent rating effective November 28, 2016.