Sleep apnea decisions — 2024

Service connection for a lumbar spine disability is granted.,The Veteran's left knee condition and right arm conditions (right elbow and right shoulder) are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for sleep apnea, cluster headaches, left wrist torn ligament, and right ankle strain.

The Board has granted service connection for left wrist sprain, right wrist sprain, and lumbosacral strain. The Veteran's current conditions are deemed to have been incurred during his active military service.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, including sleep apnea. The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claims for sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus due to deficiencies in the medical opinions provided. Additional records, including SSA disability benefits records, need to be obtained and reviewed by a clinician.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for residuals of traumatic brain injury, obstructive sleep apnea, and right ankle disability, as well as higher initial ratings for right hip strain and left hip strain, to the agency of original jurisdiction for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome associated with PTSD, finding that no claim was filed prior to March 14, 2022.

The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent, and an increased evaluation is denied.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability has not met the criteria for a higher than 10 percent evaluation under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.

The Veteran's claim for earlier effective date for schizophrenia, unspecified with cocaine use disorder is granted. The appeal for an earlier effective date for lumbosacral strain is dismissed as it was not a valid issue.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his PTSD and sleep apnea. The Board also found no nexus between herbicide agent exposure and the development of sleep apnea.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU rating, and the persuasive evidence of record is against finding that his service-connected disabilities were of such nature and severity as to preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its secondary relationship to PTSD, degenerative arthritis of the right and left knee, degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, right and left ankle conditions, and nasal bone fracture residuals due to a duty to assist error.

The Veteran's IBS is granted service connection based on presumptive service connection due to Southwest Asia service. The remaining conditions are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for depression due to another medical condition and remanded the issue of service connection for sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease and lumbosacral degenerative disc disease was denied.,Effective from March 8, 2020, the Veteran received service connection for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve) and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve).

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Board has remanded all claims related to service connection for various shoulder and back conditions, as well as left wrist pain. The reasons include the need for additional medical opinions considering the Veteran's in-service experiences.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy, both related to his active duty training period. The decision also grants secondary service connection for the left lower extremity radiculopathy.