Sleep apnea decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining relevant medical records and providing an opinion regarding the Veteran's cervical spine strain and sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions. The Board will consider whether his back, right great toe, right shoulder, and right wrist conditions are related to service or have been aggravated by service.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain is granted service connection, with a maximum disability rating of 30%.,Her migraine headaches are granted an increased disability rating to 50%, the highest possible under current criteria.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for staph and MRSA infections, as well as his right ankle, left ankle, high altitude condition, and sleep apnea with CPAP are being remanded due to insufficient medical evidence. The Board requests an addendum opinion from VA to address the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination and medical opinions to address whether the Veteran's OSA was incurred during service, if it is at least as likely as not caused by his weight gain due to his back disability, and if so, whether it would have occurred without the aggravation of obesity from his back disability.

The Veteran's claim for tuberculosis was denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,Service connection for sleep apnea, fatty liver disease (claimed as liver condition), insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus were all remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claim for a rating greater than 40 percent for major depressive disorder is denied. The claim for TDIU is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disorder is granted, with no specific rating assigned and no effective date provided.

The Board has remanded the claims for left knee disability, sleep apnea, sinusitis, CFS, and rhinitis due to insufficient evidence or need for further clarification.

The Board has remanded two issues for further development: service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right wrist disability and service connection for hypertension as secondary to his service-connected right wrist disability or major depressive disorder with polysubstance abuse. The claims are being returned for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal for an effective date prior to August 17, 2017, for right hip trochanteric pain syndrome is denied. The Veteran's lumbosacral disability is granted as service connected.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea and breathing problems, as well as the secondary service connection of sleep apnea to reactive airway disease, is remanded. The initial rating for PTSD is also remanded.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and OSA are granted service connection, while gastrointestinal issues and foot neuropathies are denied. The case is remanded for further examination on bilateral foot neuropathy.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary for further development regarding the Veteran's claims of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and migraine headaches, as these conditions are claimed to be secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents and the nature and etiology of his diabetes. The Veteran is also seeking service connection for sleep apnea, which may be related to obesity caused by his right knee disability.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for obesity, OSA, DM, hypertension, and bilateral plantar fasciitis due to new and material evidence. The appeals are granted.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's obesity, which was caused by his service-connected disabilities, is an intermediate step between his service-connected conditions and his current disability.

The Board denied service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as secondary to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), finding that the evidence did not support a diagnosis of OSA or its association with MDD.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied. The lumbar spine disability rating was restored, but the headaches claim was not granted an earlier effective date.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional records and further review of the claims, including those related to effective dates.