Sleep apnea decisions — 2024

The Board has determined that the Veteran's Obstructive Sleep Apnea is not related to his service or due to his service-connected PTSD, and therefore denied service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no medical nexus between the claimed conditions and either active service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected type II diabetes mellitus, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is directly related to his service or secondary to his service-connected unspecified depressive disorder. The VA examiner did not address specifics of the Veteran's disability patterns and risk factors for sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disorder, left knee disorder (to include as secondary to claimed right knee disorder), bilateral foot condition (claimed as fallen arches), left shoulder disorder, right elbow disorder, bilateral lower extremity dry skin disorder, and sleep apnea.,The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a right knee disorder due to incomplete STRs and lack of VA examination prior to the February 2019 rating decision.,The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a left knee disorder (to include as secondary to claimed right knee disorder) due to incomplete STRs and lack of VA examination prior to the February 2019 rating decision.,The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral foot condition (claimed as fallen arches), left shoulder disorder, right elbow disorder, and sleep apnea due to incomplete STRs and lack of VA examination prior to the February 2019 rating decision.,The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a left shoulder disorder due to incomplete STRs and lack of VA examination prior to the February 2019 rating decision.,The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right elbow disorder, bilateral lower extremity dry skin disorder, and sleep apnea due to incomplete STRs and lack of VA examination prior to the February 2019 rating decision.,The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a bilateral lower extremity dry skin disorder due to incomplete STRs and lack of VA examination prior to the February 2019 rating decision.,The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for sleep apnea due to incomplete STRs and lack of VA examination prior to the February 2019 rating decision.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and service connection claims have been remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations and addendum opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for extraschedular TDIU from June 15, 2016, to June 22, 2018 due to conflicting evidence of her employment status during the lookback period and a need for additional information.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination opinions regarding whether the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is related to his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence to decide whether the appellant's sleep disorder, including OSA, is related to his military service or specifically to his service-connected PTSD. The appellant was exposed to burn pits during his deployments and may be considered a Persian Gulf Veteran under the PACT Act.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's skin disabilities, including squamous cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis, seborrheic keratosis, seborrheic dermatitis, atypical compound nevus, and erythrotelangiectatic rosacea, are not related to his active service. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were caused by herbicide agent exposure or in-service sun exposure.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for hyposmia was dismissed. The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disorder, including rhinitis but excluding OSA, as well as service connection for a right ankle disability. Service connection for OSA was granted. An initial 10% rating for right knee strain with arthritis status post ACL repair based on limitation of flexion was granted.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD) and sinusitis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of its onset in service and that it is not related to any current or past service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD is granted with an effective date of May 3, 2015. The Board also found that his sleep apnea issue was remanded due to procedural issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his military service, including potential asbestos exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, specifically whether it is related to service, including asbestos exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is at least as likely as not related to his active duty service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for COPD and OSA due to insufficient medical opinions addressing relevant evidence, including service treatment records and the Veteran's testimony.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and posttraumatic stress disorder), narcolepsy, sleep apnea, insomnia, and chronic fatigue due to additional development. The AOJ must document all participation in TERAs during the Veteran's service in VA's exposure tracking system and associate this record with the Veteran's electronic claims file.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to exposure to burn pits in Djibouti, Africa. The case is sent back for additional medical opinions and consideration of secondary service connection.