Sleep apnea decisions — 2022

The Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded due to conflicting information regarding her deployment to Iraq and the need for further development of her military personnel records.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for sleep apnea and a nasal disorder (claimed as sinusitis) due to insufficient consideration of relevant evidence, including lay statements from the Veteran's family members and his own testimony. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (claimed as secondary to posttraumatic stress disorder). The decision on tinnitus is due to lack of evidence linking it to service. For OSA, a new medical opinion is needed to determine if it was caused or aggravated by PTSD.

The Board has denied reopening of the claims for service connection for sleep apnea and a respiratory condition due to lack of new and material evidence. The claims have been remanded for further examination regarding bilateral inguinal hernia and residual scars.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea has been dismissed because the issue was removed from the Legacy appeals system and is now being reviewed under the AMA review system.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and an increased rating for his nasal disability, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to service or secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and whether his service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his obesity, which in turn may have contributed to his OSA.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for sleep apnea, unspecified bipolar and related disorder, and prostate cancer due to potential exposure to Agent Orange during military service. The Veteran is also being asked to provide more information about his specific dates of service at Travis AFB and Elmendorf AFB.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and respiratory disorder were not incurred during active service, are not caused by an event, injury or illness occurring in active service, and there is no evidence to support a connection with exposure to herbicide agents. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The appeal is limited to the initial compensable rating for status post recurrent heat exhaustion, which was denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to reopen his previously denied claims for service connection for arthritis, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder), asthma, sleep apnea syndrome, and hearing loss. The claims are remanded for additional development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran has withdrawn her appeals regarding the service connection for bilateral cataract, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, allergic rhinosinusitis, obstructive sleep apnea, and delusional disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for non-service-connected pension has been withdrawn.,The Board is remanding the issues of service connection for bilateral wrist disability, lower-back condition, sleep apnea disorder (to include as secondary to PTSD), bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral knee condition.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for clarification on whether the Veteran's OSA is related to service and if his other conditions worsen it. The case will be returned for further examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current sleep apnea had its onset in service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for a greater than 20 percent rating for his lumbosacral spine strain with intervertebral disc syndrome and right leg sciatica, and for TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for pseudomonas aeruginosa as a change in diagnosis from tinea pedis, finding that the disability did not change but was merely clarified.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's sleep disorder and its relationship to service. The matter is returned for further development.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected insomnia was withdrawn. The Board granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, with primary snoring other than service-connected insomnia.