Sleep apnea decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding service connection for lumbosacral spondylosis. A new VA examination is needed to evaluate whether the Veteran's current condition is related to his service or caused by an in-service injury, event or illness.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's complete service treatment records are missing and needs to be retrieved or explained. The case is being remanded for this purpose.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it was caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's dysthymic disorder is granted a 30% rating, but no more. The lumbosacral strain with IVDS claim is denied. Service connection for bilateral foot disorders is also denied.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's OSA may be related to his military service, but more evidence is needed to determine if it is caused by or aggravated by his TBI and/or asthma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is not secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for entitlement to service connection for anxiety, sleep apnea, a heart disability, and a skin disability (including actinic keratoses and bleeding knuckles) due to unresolved issues. The claim for melanoma on the abdomen with residual scar remains denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes, and his service connection claims were granted based on direct evidence of a nexus to service.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, facet arthropathy and L5-S1 disc bulge has been granted a 40 percent disability rating effective January 9, 2015.

The Veteran's claimed conditions were denied as they are not related to service or secondary to a service-connected disability.

The Board denied service connection for restless leg syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the current conditions did not have onset during service or are otherwise unrelated to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain and right ankle disabilities due to a duty-to-assist error in prior VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of sleep apnea as secondary to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma due to a lack of adequate medical opinion.

The Veteran's TDIU claim from December 12, 2016 to February 20, 2018 is granted. The Veteran's lumbosacral strain claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent prior to January 15, 2018 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter is remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases of status post prostatectomy, basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, heart disorder, and Parkinson's disease for further development.,Additional evidence or medical opinions may be needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus, type II due to service-connected hypertension. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions on a secondary basis based on exposure to flammable liquids during military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's sleep disorder, its relationship to service, and whether it is caused or aggravated by any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, heart disability, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, type II, and neuropathies were denied as the evidence did not support a link to his active service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, particularly related to his service in Southwest Asia.