Sleep apnea decisions — 2022

The Board has decided that a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's current sleep apnea and related symptoms are related to his active service, including deployment in Southwest Asia.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Traumatic Brain Injury, Vision Disability, Sleep Apnea, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have been dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for Hearing Loss Disability has been remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for Bilateral Knee Disability has been remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for Asthma has been remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for depressive disorder is denied. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for sleep apnea and for an increased rating for lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's sleep apnea disability is found to have started during his active service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic arthritis, frostbite disability (right great toe), and sleep apnea have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease that led to these conditions.,Additionally, the Veteran's current hip, shoulder, and sleep apnea disabilities are not considered related to his time in service.

The Board denied reopening of the previously denied claims for right and left ankle conditions due to lack of new and material evidence.,The Board also denied reopening of the previously denied claim for obstructive sleep apnea as there was no current diagnosis.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is granted an initial rating of 20 percent, effective October 23, 2013. Separate ratings for lower extremity radiculopathy and sensory impairment are also granted.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's sleep apnea (OSA) is not service-connected as secondary to her PTSD. The decision is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for sleep apnea due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable due to their collective impact, as he can still perform the physical and mental acts required by most jobs.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and arthritis, radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities (sciatic nerves), left eye atrophy with visual field loss, and bilateral glaucoma with left eye atrophy are all rated as per the current evidence. The case is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected PTSD and his obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is found to be at least as likely as not due to his service-connected chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis, thus granting service connection for the condition.

The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with its prior remand directives and the Veteran's claims must be remanded once again for addendum medical opinions to address his service connection claims.

The Veteran's hypothyroidism was granted a 100% rating prior to April 10, 2017. The TDIU issue is moot due to the SMC grant for the entire appeal period. SMC was granted prior to April 10, 2017.

The Board has found that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea may be related to service, but more development is needed to establish a clear connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding obesity and its relation to sleep apnea, as well as the relationship between diabetes mellitus type II and obesity.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's sleep apnea may be due to his service-connected PTSD, but more evidence is needed to determine if this aggravation occurred.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, lumbosacral strain, Meniere's syndrome, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's sleep apnea and service-connected conditions, including PTSD.