Sleep apnea decisions — 2021

The Veteran's OSA is found to have been incurred during military service, and his memory loss and concentration issues are found to be secondary to his PTSD with panic disorder.,Service connection for both conditions has been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's symptoms had their onset during service and are not related to his service-connected sinusitis.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to adjudicate the claims for left knee arthritis, OSA with asthma, and TDIU. The appeals for these issues have been remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a TBI and sleep apnea are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, prostate cancer residuals, and lumbosacral strain prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment due to his disabilities.

The Veteran's current sleep apnea is not shown to be directly related to service or caused by his service-connected psychiatric disability, and the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's hypertension, migraine headaches, and obstructive sleep apnea are granted as service connected due to herbicide agent exposure in Vietnam. The claims for secondary service connection for these conditions based on the Veteran's service-connected nightmare disorder with sleep condition are also granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding an earlier effective date for TDIU and service connection for sleep apnea, including as secondary to PTSD. The Veteran's earnings from August 2018 to May 2019 need to be verified, and a new medical opinion is required to address whether his obesity caused or aggravated his sleep apnea.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the service connection for obstructive sleep apnea with obesity intermediary as secondary to post traumatic stress disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to lack of new and relevant evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted with an effective date of June 28, 2017.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as his left ankle disability does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.,His sleep apnea, PTSD-related, and bilateral hip/knee disabilities are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's initial claim for a disability rating of 10 percent for traumatic injury to lower mandibular dentition, residual of hit to the jaw is granted. The issues of service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease and sleep apnea are remanded due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to prostate cancer and remanded the issues of sleep apnea and PTSD.

The Board has determined that the VA examination conducted in October 2020 is insufficient to decide the claims and has therefore remanded for further development, including a new VA examination.

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

The Veteran's service-connected right lower extremity radiculopathy and sciatic compression/lumbosacral plexopathy have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his obstructive sleep apnea, and specifically obesity. The Veteran needs a VA opinion on these issues.

The Veteran's claim for increased rating of his lumbar spine disability was denied, with a 40% rating granted effective March 30, 2021.,An earlier effective date of August 27, 2016 for the initial 10% rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy is granted. The claim for an earlier effective date for right lower extremity radiculopathy prior to March 30, 2021 remains denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and his active duty. The Board also found that the Veteran's PTSD did not cause or aggravate his obstructive sleep apnea.