Sleep apnea decisions — 2022

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's need for a submucosal resection of the nose was related to service or his service-connected respiratory disability.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it arose during active service and is related to his current condition. The issue of whether new and material evidence had been received to reopen the claim was also granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient VA examination opinions regarding his claimed disabilities, particularly those related to periods of National Guard and Reserve service.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia and OSA have been granted service connection as they are related to his active service, specifically his deployment in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's right wrist disorder is granted service connection. The issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded.

The Veteran's GERD, decreased sexual drive, skin condition, and sleep apnea are remanded for further development to determine their relationship to service-connected conditions or exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, except for the period from September 12, 2017 to November 1, 2017. The Board has remanded several issues related to his knee and spine conditions.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to obesity subsequent to service-connected back condition. The Board finds another remand necessary for additional development regarding the issues of service connection for a respiratory condition (COPD) and hypertension.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea but has remanded the issues of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left thumb, a left shoulder condition, and ulnar neuropathy of the left elbow due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is likely to have begun during his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for a sleep disorder, including obstructive sleep apnea, secondary to service-connected PTSD due to inadequate reasoning and lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, erectile dysfunction, and sleep apnea. The claims are being remanded for further development including VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for obstructive sleep apnea, reactive airway disease, and asthma due to inadequate examinations that did not address his reported in-service exposures and symptoms.

The Veteran's back disability was not found to warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to August 12, 2014.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder, and remanded the issue of TDIU prior to October 18, 2016.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an adequate VA examination and consider all the evidence of record, including lay statements.

The Veteran is unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment as a result of his service-connected PTSD and Sleep Apnea from April 10, 2007 to December 8, 2015. TDIU on an extraschedular basis has been granted.

The Board dismissed all service connection claims and rating determinations for various conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, gastritis with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), bilateral hearing loss, and obstructive sleep apnea. The Board also remanded claims for sinusitis, an autoimmune condition (claimed as fibromyalgia), a respiratory disability, and OSA.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for hypertension and sleep apnea. The claim of service connection for tinnitus was granted, with a rating of 20 percent effective December 12, 2011. The issue of an initial rating greater than 20 percent for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine, remains pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities combine to an 80 percent evaluation, but he does not have an employment handicap for VA vocational rehabilitation purposes and is therefore denied VR&E benefits.