Sleep apnea decisions — 2022

The Veteran's appeals for sleep apnea, hemorrhoids, and Raynaud's disease were dismissed as withdrawn. The claims of service connection for prostate condition (including elevated PSA and enlargement), lumbar spine disability, pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, and cervical spine disability are reopened.

The Board has dismissed all the issues of service connection for various conditions as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and sleep apnea, but has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left knee disability (patellar tendonitis).,An initial rating in excess of 20 percent for cervical strain with cervical spine degenerative disc disease is also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues regarding service connection for sleep apnea, specifically whether it is at least as likely as not proximately caused or aggravated by a service-connected PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder.

The Board has denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability due to the lack of audiometric criteria meeting VA standards.,Service connection is remanded for an acquired psychiatric disability and sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence regarding exposure and etiology. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, skin cancer, and potential nerve/neurological disability are all being reviewed again.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea, an acquired psychiatric disorder (unspecified depressive disorder), and headaches.,However, the effective dates for these awards are not earlier than March 12, 2015.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea as secondary to his service-connected Ischemic Heart Disease, finding that there is no credible evidence linking OSA to IHD.

The Veteran's recurrent UTIs with urinary incontinence are rated at the maximum schedular rating of 60 percent. The claim for service connection for OSA as secondary to service-connected recurrent UTIs with urinary incontinence is granted, while other claims remain denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to comply with its September 2018 remand directives, and further development is needed.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as it did not originate in service and was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's lumbar spine DJD and LLE radiculopathy were denied an increased rating.,The Veteran's RLE radiculopathy was granted a 20 percent disability rating, but not higher from December 22, 2021.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is remanded for further evaluation, including obtaining recent VA treatment records and a medical opinion on the relationship between his sleep apnea and service-connected PTSD with MDD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (secondary to anxiety disorder) due to insufficient examination opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's lumbosacral disability is rated at 40 percent, but the Board finds that there is not an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence to warrant a higher rating. The issue of TDIU prior to January 14, 2016 is remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that sleep apnea is secondary to service-connected PTSD and granted the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to the need for clarification of the Veteran's claim and for VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus has been dismissed without prejudice. The Board finds that the Veteran's claims seeking service connection for chronic sinusitis, sleep apnea, uterine fibroids with anemia, a right knee disorder, a left knee disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and a right hand and thumb disorder must be remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to service or a service-connected disability, specifically PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of proper notice and because the Veteran needs to be provided with an examination for his sleep apnea.