Sleep apnea decisions — 2021

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and its relation to service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has determined that additional development is required for the Veteran's claims, including exposure to toxic chemicals at Fort McClellan and a VA-contracted examination for his heart disability. The issues of service connection are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical records, as well as consideration of various theories of service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but the remaining issues of sleep apnea, ulcer, and PTSD have been remanded due to new evidence.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is not service-connected as it is not related to his active military service.,There is no evidence of peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities during or recent to the filing of the claim, thus denying service connection for this condition.,The Veteran's sleep apnea was not found secondary to PTSD. The matter is remanded for further development.,No current diagnosis of a skin condition (claimed as chloracne) has been established in the medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is a result of his active service and has granted entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and sleep apnea was denied. The Board found no evidence to support the claims of direct service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence received since the last decision, and the Veteran's claim for service connection for a disability other than chronic fatigue syndrome manifested as sleep disorder is being reconsidered.

The Board has granted the Veteran's motion to revise a February 4, 2004 rating decision that denied service connection for sleep apnea. The decision is revised to reflect an award of service connection from November 4, 2002.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, except for the grant of a 10% rating for right knee osteoarthritis. Other conditions and issues remained denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, secondary to his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his diabetes.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render them unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, CAD with myocardial infarction, T-cell lymphoma, diverticulosis, and skin disability to include sebaceous hyperplasia, actinic keratosis, rosacea and seborrheic keratosis due to exposure to herbicide agents while serving in Okinawa.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea did not begin during service and is not related to any in-service injury, event, or illness. Therefore, the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea on a secondary basis due to his PTSD. The case is sent back for additional development, including obtaining an addendum medical opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and thus denied his claim for TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU have been withdrawn. The Board has also remanded several issues related to his knee disabilities, OSA, GERD, back disability, neck disability, right shoulder disability, bilateral ankle disability, migraine headaches, and residuals of head injury due to incomplete records and the need for additional evidentiary development.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for her lumbar spine disability has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating prior to November 3, 2009 and immediately after May 1, 2010 to February 1, 2020, or since February 11, 2020.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development and consideration of his claims, including a VA examination to address the etiology of his sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disability, including sleep apnea, asbestosis, and neoplasms of the respiratory system, finding that it was not related to his service or secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The Board also found obesity did not cause or aggravate the respiratory disability.