Sleep apnea decisions — 2025

The appeal for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea has been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board remands the matter to obtain a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is caused by or resulted from his service-connected disabilities, and whether any weight gain caused by those disabilities was a substantial factor in causing the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a heart disorder, bilateral ingrown toenails, bilateral flatfeet, thoracolumbar spine disorder, and sleep apnea to verify the Veteran's duty status during certain periods of service.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea to obtain a new medical opinion addressing its etiology, including potential toxic exposures during service.

The Board denied higher ratings for the veteran's knee, shoulder, and lumbosacral conditions but granted a separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability. The appeal of a proposed reduction for PTSD from 50 percent to 30 percent was dismissed.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's other specified trauma and stressor related disorder caused his obesity, which in turn led to his OSA.

The Board dismissed the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a formal defect in the appeal process.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of January 12, 2022, for service connection for a neurocognitive disorder and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current condition is aggravated by his service-connected adjustment disorder.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and obstructive sleep apnea to obtain a medical opinion addressing the possibility of a nexus between the claimed disabilities and the Veteran's participation in a toxic exposure risk activity during her service in Southwest Asia.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the service-connected tinnitus due to a lack of evidence showing that the sleep apnea was caused or aggravated by the tinnitus.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for sleep apnea and GERD due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding potential exposure to chemical warfare agents and PCBs.

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

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, as secondary to the Veteran's left knee condition, based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's weight gain and obesity were caused by his service-connected left knee condition, which in turn aggravated his sleep apnea.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a back injury, joint pain, right ankle deltoid ligament sprain, tinnitus, and sleep apnea (OSA) or sleep disturbances due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board remands the claim for an initial compensable disability rating for asthma with obstructive sleep apnea and chronic cough to obtain a retrospective medical opinion.

The Board remands the claims for a higher initial rating for left knee and back disabilities due to an inadequate medical examination.

The Board remands the case for an additional medical opinion to determine the etiology of the Veteran's back disorder, including his diagnosed lumbosacral strain.

The appeal for service connection for hypertension, sinusitis, and an earlier effective date and a higher initial evaluation for obstructive sleep apnea was dismissed. The claims for dry cough, migraines, rhinitis, and chronic lumbosacral strain (claimed as back pains) were remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for left knee strain and remanded claims for a recurrent sleep disability, to include obstructive sleep apnea; a recurrent sinus disability, claimed as due to exposure to Gulf War environmental hazards including burn pits; and a recurrent respiratory disability, claimed as due to exposure to Gulf War environmental hazards including burn pits.