Sleep apnea decisions — 2021

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a right knee disorder is granted. The Board has also remanded the issues of entitlement to higher ratings for left shoulder disability, right elbow disorder, and sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability due to lack of current disability and insufficient evidence linking it to active service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion from the April 2019 VA examiner regarding whether his service-connected diabetes aggravated his sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of clarity in the VA examiner's opinion regarding the Veteran's reports of heavy snoring during service and its relevance to his sleep apnea.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his active duty service or secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The VA will need to conduct a comprehensive examination and gather additional medical records to make a determination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for GERD, rosacea, skin rashes, and cysts due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran. The VA will obtain additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed. The appeals for sleep apnea, vasectomy, and erectile dysfunction were remanded.

The Veteran's sleep apnea and headaches are granted as secondary to her service-connected disabilities, specifically her lumbar spine disability and bilateral knee chondromalacia.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obesity, which was caused by PTSD. As a result, the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and adjudication due to incomplete medical records from Dr. Cook.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and the Board finds that he is not entitled to a TDIU.

The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to reopen his claims for service connection for sleep apnea and back problems. The remaining issues have been remanded due to lack of complete STRs, need for updated VA treatment records, and need for additional medical examinations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for insomnia and a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The claim for increased rating of residuals of traumatic right knee injury with degenerative joint disease is being remanded.,The Veteran's left knee disability secondary to his service-connected right knee injury remains in dispute.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus, type II before the Board could make a decision.

The Board has granted service connection for depression and remanded the issues of service connection for erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, and hypertension.

The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether TDIU should be granted on an extraschedular basis, as the Court found that the Board did not adequately address the Veteran's claim.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to obtain relevant treatment records and provide an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD with alcohol use disorder.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was found to have started during his military service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that his condition began during active duty service and resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.