Sleep apnea decisions — 2024

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it is secondary to his service-connected unspecified depressive disorder. The decision resolves all doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to address the Veteran's complaints of flare-ups and their impact on his lumbosacral strain.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's claims are now pending and will be reviewed with additional etiology opinions.

The appeal seeking to reopen a previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction is granted. The issues of service connection for sleep apnea and major depressive disorder, as well as the TDIU claim, are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and sleep apnea due to inadequate opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions and his conceded toxic exposure risks, as well as new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and its relationship to service. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to determine if his sleep disorder is related to service.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, lumbar-spine disorder and obstructive sleep apnea have been reopened. Service connection has been granted for acquired psychiatric disorders including PTSD, depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder, as well as for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension (due to presumed herbicide exposure), prostate cancer (due to presumed herbicide exposure), and bilateral hearing loss. Service connection was denied for lumbar-spine disorder and obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder other than allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current disability established.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted under the PACT Act, but service connection on a direct basis requires further development. The issue of service connection for OSA remains pending and will be remanded.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, finding that there was no credible evidence of herbicide agent exposure and insufficient medical opinions supporting a direct relationship between any of the conditions and service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU, finding that he did not meet the schedular requirements for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to January 26, 2022.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The remaining claims for psychiatric, back, sciatica, headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, and hypertension are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to PTSD, due to insufficient evidence regarding its etiology and need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a brain lesion is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between her in-service syncope and benign brain lesion, as well as the current symptoms she experiences.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of a neck disability, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy as secondary to a neck disability, sinusitis, and sleep apnea. The appeals were remanded for further development on these issues.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it is presumed to have occurred during active duty.,Service connection for sleep apnea and nerve damage to the right hand were remanded due to insufficient evidence addressing all theories of entitlement.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, left hip residuals status post labral repair, and right foot plantar fasciitis due to credible lay evidence of continuous symptoms since separation from active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the sleep apnea developed due to his PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and kidney stones were granted. The rating for left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy was denied, as well as the claim for a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction associated with diabetes mellitus. Service connection for hypothyroidism was granted based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.,The Veteran's sleep apnea and kidney stones are presumed to be related to his service due to his service in the Republic of Vietnam, while peripheral neuropathy and erectile dysfunction were not found to be directly related to service.

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, depression, headache disability, sleep apnea, and CFS have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claims are now remanded for further development.,Service connection for CFS has not been established as there is no current diagnosis of CFS.