Sleep apnea decisions — 2025

The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and ratings, granted a 30 percent rating for dizziness, and remanded several claims.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and eczema, but remanded the claims for sleep apnea and a right wrist condition due to a duty to assist error.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea to correct a duty to assist error, as the previous medical opinions did not adequately address the evidence of record.

The Board remands the claim for an adequate medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, to include on a secondary basis.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including eye disability, foot pain, stomach disability, bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and non-compensable ratings for post traumatic headaches, right lower extremity scars, tympanic membrane perforation, right knee tendinopathy, and lumbosacral strain.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, left and right, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The Board remands the service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as no VA examiner addressed whether the Veteran's in-service diagnosis of obesity was related to his obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board remands the claims for an earlier effective date for hypertension, service connection for sleep apnea, a skin condition, degenerative disc disease, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, a prostate condition, and a bladder condition to ensure that all relevant evidence is considered.

The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder, but remanded the claim for obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied service connection for generalized anxiety disorder, depressive reaction, and obstructive sleep apnea. The claims for hypokalemia, bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, diabetic vision loss, and paralysis of the external popliteal nerve were remanded.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for COPD and sleep apnea as the VA medical opinions are inadequate to determine if these conditions were caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected disorders.

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

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine condition and denied increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, right knee osteoarthritis with patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve. However, it restored the 20 percent disability rating for lumbosacral strain effective October 31, 2023.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes cavus and hallux valgus, and also denied a rating greater than 50 percent for the Veteran's bilateral pes cavus, hallux valgus.

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

The Board remands the claims for service connection for sleep apnea and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, as a VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board remands the claims for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and sleep apnea to correct pre-decisional errors in the evaluation of these claims.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for sleep apnea with asthma, finding that July 9, 2020 was the earliest possible effective date permitted under the law.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for hypertension and service connection for ischemic heart disease, and remanded the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea secondary to PTSD, TDIU, and SMC.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right knee, psychiatric, back, and neck conditions.