Sleep apnea decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for various conditions and an initial rating in excess of the assigned ratings for PTSD with moderate alcohol use disorder, left shoulder strain with rotator cuff strain, and right shoulder strain with rotator cuff strain.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of January 24, 2020, for the award of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as the medical opinions upon which the previous decision relied were inadequate.

The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and remanded the claims for bilateral ankle arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, erectile dysfunction, degenerative disc disease, cervical, bilateral plantar fasciitis with arthritis and heel spurs, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as it is not proximately due to or otherwise attributable to active service, nor is it related to a service-connected disability.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder with obesity as an intermediate step.

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea on a secondary basis, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board granted a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbosacral strain with mild scoliosis based on forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 30 degrees or less.

The Board granted an effective date of January 22, 2021, for the assignment of a 40 percent evaluation for service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and for the award of service connection sciatica of the left lower extremity.

The Board denied an effective date earlier than October 13, 2023 for the award of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted service connection, effective October 2, 2024, as it is related to his service-connected GERD.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to residuals of deviated septum surgery due to a duty to assist error, specifically the need for an addendum opinion addressing aggravation.

The Board denied service connection for adenomatous colon polyps, sleep apnea, vertigo, GERD, IBS, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and PTSD due to a lack of evidence showing a causal relationship between the claimed conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for an ear condition, to include hearing loss, middle ear effusion, and eustachian tube dysfunction, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and generalized anxiety disorder, as there was no evidence of a medical nexus between these conditions and his military service. The claim for tinnitus was remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and sleep apnea as there is no evidence of a chronic condition in-service or within one year of separation, and no medical nexus between his current conditions and active service.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to lumbosacral strain, restored a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbosacral strain with DJD, DDD, and IVDS effective April 7, 2023, and granted a 30 percent rating for left shoulder subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis from February 28, 2023.

The appeal for service connection for sleep apnea was dismissed as there were no claims or appeals pending at the time of the Veteran's death.