Sleep apnea decisions — 2025

The Board granted an effective date of March 28, 2019, for the grant of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension and right knee meniscal tear and medial collateral ligament tear with degenerative arthritis, but remanded the claims for a headache disorder and sleep apnea (OSA) due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea as the evidence does not support a current diagnosis of sleep apnea.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for PTSD, diabetic retinopathy, sleep apnea, and diabetes mellitus as they were improperly filed or not properly before the Board.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea to obtain an adequate medical opinion on whether it is proximately caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of July 15, 2019, for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to clear and unmistakable error in the October 2020 rating decision.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus between the condition and either the Veteran's service or his service-connected depressive disorder.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral shin splints, cervical strain (claimed as neck strain), lumbosacral strain (claimed as lower back strain), left shoulder strain (claimed as painful joints), and right shoulder strain (claimed as painful joints) to obtain an adequate medical opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as the evidence of record does not support a finding that OSA began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service event, injury, or disease.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for chronic low back pain to obtain a medical examination and opinion, as necessary legal determinations regarding the nature of the Veteran's pre-service condition cannot be made based on the current evidence.

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

The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to inadequate medical opinions regarding its etiology and potential aggravation by service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active military service or his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran withdrew the appeals of entitlement to service connection for obesity, sleep apnea, and a bilateral eye disability.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to obtain a new medical opinion that adequately addresses the Veteran's lay statements and potential toxic exposure risk activities.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral foot, cervical spine, and bilateral hip disabilities but denied service connection for an eye disability, OSA, a sinus disability, and a nail condition. The Board also denied an increased rating for hearing loss and dismissed the TDIU claim.

The Board granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, left shoulder degenerative arthritis, and lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis. The claim for hypertension was denied.

The Board granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's December 21, 2020, submission was a new claim and not timely enough to warrant an earlier effective date.

The Board remands the matter for an adequate VA examination to address whether sleep apnea was caused or aggravated by service, to include in-service exposure to toxins, individually or due to synergistic effects; or by service-connected allergic rhinitis.