Sleep apnea decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, obstructive sleep apnea, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, and tinea corporis, have rendered him unemployable. The Board has granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) based on the combined schedular evaluation of his service-connected conditions.

The Board dismissed the appeal of severance of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and obstructive sleep apnea because the Veteran withdrew the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's OSA is due to exposure to particulate matter during his service in Southwest Asia, and therefore grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is now rated at 50% effective December 11, 2017. Prior to that date, the condition was not service-connected.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for sleep apnea and a rating in excess of 0 percent for residuals of septorhinoplasty due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors regarding snoring and loss of smell.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's sleep apnea disorder as secondary to his service-connected insomnia disorder, MDD with anxiety, migraine headaches, and tinnitus. The decision also acknowledges that the Veteran's opioid medication taken for bilateral shoulder disorders may have contributed to his sleep apnea.

The Board found that the Veteran is not precluded from substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities and denied the claim for a TDIU rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected low back disability aggravates his non-service-connected obstructive sleep apnea. The claim will be further evaluated with a new examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is being remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The Board finds that a VA examination is needed to determine if his sleep apnea is related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs additional medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has granted service connection for dermatitis with an initial 10 percent disability rating effective from August 10, 2022. The Veteran's claim of pruritus of the feet is also granted as part of this decision.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's Obstructive Sleep Apnea as secondary to his service-connected Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his back disability from December 10, 2012 to April 14, 2021 was denied. For the period from December 3, 2021 to April 14, 2021, he received a 40 percent rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, specifically whether it is related to service or caused by a service-connected disability.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is service-connected, but has remanded the issue of whether his erectile dysfunction is aggravated by a service-connected psychiatric disorder.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The decision is based on evidence that obesity, which may be related to PTSD, contributed to the development of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbosacral strain and right shoulder strain and tendinopathy, both determined to be incurred during periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA).,While the Veteran's STRs do not document his injuries, he provided credible testimony about the nature of his injuries. The VA medical opinions support the finding that these conditions are related to his in-service activities.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as due to service-connected chronic adjustment disorder with PTSD. However, the claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus remains denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, type II, and sleep apnea due to duty-to-assist errors. The issues of secondary service connection for upper and lower extremity neurological symptoms are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was denied in August 2018, and the effective date of this award is set at April 27, 2018. The Board found that an earlier effective date prior to April 27, 2018, cannot be granted as a matter of law.