Sleep apnea decisions — 2021

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that they did not render him unemployable at any point during the appeal period.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain is rated at 50 percent effective June 14, 2012. The Board also granted TDIU effective June 14, 2012.

The Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded due to the need for a VA opinion regarding whether his current condition had its onset during service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The decision affords the Veteran the benefit of reasonable doubt, finding there is competent evidence establishing a link between OSA and PTSD.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection and extraschedular ratings, as these issues are inextricably intertwined with his TDIU claim. The Veteran must provide detailed employment information and supporting documentation, and VA will obtain updated treatment records and addendum opinions regarding the relationship between his mood disorder and diabetes mellitus/sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the current diagnosis and active service, including presumed herbicide agent exposure. The Board found that the gap in time between his last date of active service and the initial mention of sleep apnea to be probative.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the current diagnosis and active service, including presumed herbicide agent exposure. The Board found that the gap in time between his last date of active service and the initial mention of hearing loss to be probative.

The Veteran's lung disease (COPD), sleep apnea, and basal cell carcinoma are not service-connected. The claim for chloracne is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his sleep apnea. The examiner is requested to provide an addendum opinion addressing these issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions. The issues include chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable colon syndrome, GERD, small bundle fiber neuropathy, a low back disorder, sleep disorders, hypogammaglobulinemia, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and an acquired psychiatric condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether service-connected PTSD caused or aggravated sleep apnea. The Veteran's claim for service connection is now pending and will be reconsidered with a new addendum opinion.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant requested to withdraw it prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for obstructive sleep apnea and residuals of a cholecystectomy due to inadequate medical opinions regarding secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasoning in a previous opinion and issues regarding the significance of the Veteran's limp or altered gait. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his low back disability, which he claims was caused by his service-connected left lower extremity shell fragment wound residuals.

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disorder and sleep apnea.,For the right shoulder condition, the evidence did not support a finding that it began during active service or was related to an in-service injury.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DM II) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The VA examiner found that DM II was at least as likely as not aggravated by OSA.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as obstructive sleep apnea. The evidence is in equipoise that these conditions were incurred or caused by the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back condition, finding that there was no evidence showing that his current spinal abnormality began during or within one year of active duty and was not caused by any aspect of active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and obstructive sleep apnea disabilities rendered him unemployable, leading to a TDIU from October 15, 2015. The Board also granted an extraschedular TDIU prior to that date.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient initial adjudication of certain issues and for an addendum opinion on his TBI residuals.

The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's cervical spine disability, but granted a 20 percent rating for his lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease as of July 18, 2019. The Veteran is currently rated at 20 percent for this condition.