Sleep apnea decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for service connection for nosebleeds and sleep apnea to obtain adequate medical opinions regarding their relationship to toxic exposure risk activities, including exposure to TCE, PFAS, and benzene.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea to ensure an adequate medical opinion is obtained, addressing secondary causation and aggravation by service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the matter for additional medical opinions addressing the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea and whether he has a gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) disability entitled to service connection.

The Veteran's service connection for hypertension is granted, while the claims for obstructive sleep apnea and a blood disorder are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disability to include PTSD, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder as the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors were not verified and there was no competent evidence linking his current disabilities to active service.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea as the evidence did not support a finding that it had its onset during active service or was otherwise related to service, including due to toxic exposures.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection for sleep apnea due to an untimely notice of disagreement.

The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current conditions were caused by injuries sustained in the line of duty during his military service.

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for blindness in right eye and granted readjudication of claims for sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension, and thyroid cancer based on new evidence.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's service-connected conditions caused him to become overweight, which in turn was a substantial factor in his development of OSA.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran and finding that his OSA is due to and/or aggravated by his service-connected left ankle achilles tendonitis with obesity as an intermediate step.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, to include secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claim for an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, specifically addressing causation and aggravation by service-connected tinnitus.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for sleep apnea to obtain an addendum opinion that addresses all theories of entitlement, including direct and secondary service connection.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards of a 70 percent rating for PTSD, TDIU, DEA eligibility, and ratings for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, and left lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of January 13, 2021, for the assignment of a 50 percent evaluation for sinusitis, a 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, and a 10 percent evaluation for left knee disability with instability (DC 5257). The claim for an earlier effective date than January 25, 2019, for the assignment of a 10 percent evaluation for left knee disability with limited flexion (DC 5260) was denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's motion to revise a February 2006 rating decision that denied service connection for sleep apnea based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE).

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder and remanded the claim for hypertension due to a need for an adequate medical opinion.

The Board granted service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and tinnitus, while denying service connection for various other disabilities including the right ankle, left ankle, right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, left knee, heart, respiratory, kidney, venous thrombosis, urinary hesitancy, acute metabolic encephalopathy, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep disturbance, abdominal distension, atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease, neurological disability, chronic fatigue syndrome, erectile dysfunction, stroke, skin disability, fibromyalgia, bilateral foot pain, hammer toes, tinea pedis, meningitis, GERD, traumatic brain injury, and irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss and a back disability.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea to obtain additional medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his obesity, and if so, whether this obesity was a substantial factor in causing his OSA.