Sleep apnea decisions — 2023

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, but the Board finds no evidence of a claim prior to December 8, 2017.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no diagnosis of hearing loss per VA criteria.,Remanded for further examination and opinion regarding sinus disability due to in-service exposures in Kuwait,Remanded for further examination and opinion regarding sleep apnea due to in-service exposures in Kuwait

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain is rated at 10 percent from September 26, 2013 to February 21, 2017.

The Board denied service connection for COPD and OSA, finding that the Veteran's conditions are more likely due to his smoking history rather than herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of a lumbosacral/cervical strain, and the Board dismissed the case as a result.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder (GAD with MDD) and low back disability.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's symptoms of OSA were incurred during his military service and resolving all doubts in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions, including headaches (migraines), neurological signs and symptoms, psychiatric disability, hip disabilities, knee disabilities, plantar fasciitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hemorrhoids, obstructive sleep apnea, fatigue, hypertension, glaucoma, and optic atrophy have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of these claims during his March 2021 Board hearing.,The appeals were withdrawn by the Veteran in writing prior to the promulgation of a decision by the Board.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea and cervical spine disability has been reopened due to the submission of new medical evidence. The claims are now remanded for further development.,The Veteran's claims for right shoulder, right hand, fibromyalgia, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, costochondritis (chest pain), lumbar spine disability, and cervical spine disability have all been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal in its entirety prior to the promulgation of a decision, leaving no issues for further consideration.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it was not shown to be causally or etiologically related to an in-service event, injury, or disease and is not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee and ankle conditions, as well as obstructive sleep apnea due to new evidence presented at a hearing. The claims will be reviewed with updated etiology opinions considering the Veteran's recent testimony.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his service. The Veteran needs additional VA examinations and a review of his claims file.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the initial rating of lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome prior to September 11, 2023, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee disability, low back disability, variously diagnosed psychiatric disorder (PTSD and major depression), hypertension, and left ear hearing loss. The maximum schedular rating of 10% is assigned for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for obstructive sleep apnea, leukopenia with multiple infections, and skin rash of the hands, arms, neck, and lower extremities. Additional development is needed to obtain outstanding records, provide medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions, and schedule a VA examination for the skin condition.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and his OSA is rated at 50 percent. Both conditions are denied for higher ratings.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed prior to adjudicating the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, including as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was diagnosed during service and is considered to have started there, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Right Upper Extremity, and Peripheral Neuropathy of the Left Upper Extremity. The decision stated that OSA was not incurred in service and is not proximately due to, aggravated by, or the result of a service-connected disability. For PN, RUE and LUE, there were no current diagnoses found.

The Board has remanded the case due to new and material evidence received since the July 1997 rating decision, which raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain.