Sleep apnea decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's service connection claims for peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus type II, a heart condition, a back condition, obstructive sleep apnea, headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to outstanding VA treatment records and unverified stressors.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches, as secondary to his service-connected sleep apnea. The remand requires an addendum opinion from the September 2022 VA examiner addressing whether the Veteran's sleep apnea caused or aggravated his headaches.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to secondary disabilities, including fatigue, stress, depression, weight gain, and other conditions related to hearing loss. The issues are being reviewed again as part of a broader examination.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that his current condition had its onset during active duty and is related to in-service symptoms.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD has been dismissed. Service connection for a right leg scar (claimed as right calf injury) is granted. The issues of service connection for OSA, atrial flutter/atrial fibrillation, and diabetes mellitus are remanded.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the Veteran's claims for obstructive sleep apnea and migraine headaches, as they may be related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim of service connection for adjustment disorder was granted. Service connection is also granted for this condition. The issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for a sleep disorder, other than insomnia but including sleep apnea, as the evidence did not show it was incurred during active service.,The Board also denied service connection for a neurological disability manifesting as right leg numbness and weakness, as there was no medical evidence showing it was related to active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to October 9, 2021. The Board found that the Veteran was still employed at the time of his appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for left great toe arthritis, bilateral pes planus, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), prostate cancer, hip disability, and skin disability to include skin tags due to issues with obtaining additional opinions addressing secondary service connection.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that his symptoms began during his active duty and are related to his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted an increased rating of 70 percent effective June 26, 2019.,Service connection for hypertension is denied. The Veteran's new and material evidence has reopened the claim, but service connection remains denied.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current condition did not begin during active duty and is not related to his service-connected asthma, pes planus, or bilateral knee osteoarthritis. The decision also noted that obesity, which may be an intermediate step in this case, was not caused by these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for tinnitus is denied.,An effective date of August 13, 1982 is granted for the grant of service connection for tinnitus.,Issues related to head injury, headaches, low back condition, speech difficulties due to head injury, sleep disorder (including sleep apnea), and a cyst on the left side of the brain are remanded for further development.,The Veteran's claim to reopen a previously denied claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's upper respiratory conditions, specifically rhinitis and obstructive sleep apnea. The VA needs to provide a new examination to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot and joint disabilities, including as due to a service-connected left ankle disability. The evidence does not support an etiological link between these conditions and active service or any incident of service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate opinions regarding whether his service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his claimed conditions. The issues include sleep apnea, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, multilevel degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, basal cell carcinoma, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. The Board finds that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of service connection for low back disorder, heart disorder (to include as secondary to service-connected disability), acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression and PTSD) (to include as secondary to service-connected disability), left knee disorder, and sleep apnea (to include as secondary to service-connected disability).

The Board has granted service connection for left knee strain and lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.,Service connection was denied for tinnitus due to a lack of evidence linking the condition to military noise exposure.

A 40 percent rating is granted for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine prior to October 22, 2014.,A 60 percent rating and no higher is granted for left total knee replacement with degenerative joint disease and strain from October 1, 2015.,A separate 10 percent rating based on limited extension is granted for left knee osteoarthritis prior to August 18, 2014.