Sleep apnea decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder with anxiety and alcohol use disorder.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for service connection of sleep apnea.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it is caused by obesity resulting from his service-connected disabilities.

Service connection has been granted for sinusitis, head injury (traumatic brain injury), neck disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, low back disability, and sleep apnea.,The Veteran's conditions are all found to be related to service.

The appeals for left knee injury, lumbar back pain, bilateral burn scars, and sleep apnea have been dismissed. The appeal of post-traumatic stress disorder is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for headaches, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) secondary to PTSD, and earlier effective date for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU). The decisions are being remanded due to a failure to consider evidence at the time of the relevant decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's OSA is caused by his service-connected PTSD, and thus grants service connection for OSA as secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for lumbosacral strain, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee strain, and right knee scars were granted effective June 13, 2018.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his service connection of obstructive sleep apnea, finding that entitlement to service connection did not arise prior to January 18, 2016.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected depressive disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's OSA is not related to his service-connected PTSD and remands the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a clinician.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss has been denied. The Board also found that the evidence does not support a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss, as it is currently rated at Level I.,Service connection claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, and headaches have been remanded due to incomplete service treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including anxiety disorder, lumbosacral strain, cervical spine, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, have rendered him in need of regular aid and attendance. The Board has granted SMC based on this need.

The Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea is granted, and his left ankle disability remains remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's sleep apnea disability is related to his service-connected disabilities or whether it was caused by them.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to confirm the Veteran's reported in-service exposure to chemicals and to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the nature and likely etiology of his OSA, including whether it was caused by a service-connected disability or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected unspecified anxiety disorder and musculoskeletal disorders (including obesity caused by these conditions).

The appeal for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea has been dismissed because the Veteran's claim was granted in full. The appeal for service connection for an anxiety disability, to include as secondary to service-connected disabilities, is remanded.

The appeals for service connection of diabetes mellitus type II, sleep apnea, posttraumatic stress disorder, nerve damage/diabetic neuropathy in the left lower extremity, and nerve damage/diabetic neuropathy in the right lower extremity have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's TDIU is granted with an effective date of February 19, 2015. This decision finds that the Veteran met the requirements for a TDIU as of this date due to his service-connected PTSD and OSA.