Sleep apnea decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea but denied service connection for folliculitis, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and OSA as secondary to PTSD or hypertension due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and cervical spine, effective February 14, 2020. The decision also granted service connection for right and left lower extremity sciatic and femoral radiculopathy, as well as TDIU.

The Board granted readjudication of the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include anxiety and depression, due to new evidence. The claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was denied.

The Board granted readjudication of the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, dismissed the appeal for service connection for chronic sinusitis as moot, and denied initial compensable ratings for hypertension and allergic rhinitis.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding no evidence of OSA in service and no competent nexus between the disability and active service.

The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for service-connected hypertension and denied service connection for sleep apnea, while remanding several other claims including those for various disabilities related to the Veteran's low back, cervical spine, knees, gastrointestinal system, heart, fibromyalgia, PTSD, and hearing loss.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability and special monthly compensation from May 5, 2019.

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, finding a relationship between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his weight gain which contributed to the development of sleep apnea.

The Board granted an effective date of January 11, 2022, for the award of a 50 percent rating for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for the Veteran's back disability and lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient information regarding the baseline severity of his conditions when discounting the beneficial effects of medication.

The Board granted an initial disability rating of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain from September 1, 1995, and a 40 percent rating from January 10, 2024. The Veteran's residuals of excision of the left femoral nerve were rated at 20 percent, but hemorrhoids were denied a compensable rating.

The Board granted service connection for rosacea, leukocytoclastic vasculitis, acneiform eruption, and seborrheic dermatitis based on the evidence showing that these skin conditions were incurred in service.

The Board denied increased ratings for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), first degree burn of the left hand ('skin disability'), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A total disability rating based on individual unemployability was granted prior to August 27, 2019. An effective date of June 20, 2018, for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits was also granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for PTSD, erectile dysfunction, and sleep apnea.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, and migraine headaches as the evidence did not show that these conditions began during a period of active duty or ACDUTRA.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for sleep apnea to correct a duty-to-assist error by obtaining a medical opinion.

The Board granted service connection for a left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, and right knee disorder based on their direct relation to the Veteran's active service. The Board also granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with bipolar I disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and tinnitus, but remanded claims for service connection for sinusitis, a cervical spine disorder, sleep apnea, and right ear hearing loss.