Sleep apnea decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea to correct a duty to assist error, requiring an adequate medical opinion regarding its etiology.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's in-service toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs) are directly related to his current condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disability in service or within the applicable presumptive period and no credible evidence of continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, right knee arthralgia, and lumbosacral strain. The Board granted a 30 percent rating for migraine headaches and a 10 percent rating for right knee instability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the condition and his active duty service.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of March 27, 2020, for the award of service connection for sleep apnea due to good cause shown for delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain with obesity, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board granted service connection for left knee and right knee conditions, as well as sleep apnea. The appeal was denied for PTSD with major depressive disorder, TBI, headaches, bilateral hearing loss, deviated septum, and a left cheek scar.

The Veteran's cirrhosis of the liver is granted an initial rating of 10 percent prior to May 19, 2024, and a 30 percent rating from that date. The claims for service connection for carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of the right submandibular gland (neck cancer), a gastrointestinal disorder (IBS), and sleep apnea syndrome with granulomatous disease are remanded.

The Board granted a disability rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain status post discectomy with degenerative disc disease and separate ratings of 20 percent each for left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), to include as secondary to a service-connected psychiatric disability.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea to obtain a new examination addressing the nature and etiology of the Veteran's condition.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea to obtain a medical opinion addressing its nature and etiology, including whether it is related to or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to service-connected asthma and erectile dysfunction (ED) as secondary to a service-connected degenerative arthritis with spinal fusion and intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain associated with DDD from L5 to S1 with IVDS, effective March 17, 2020, and denied an earlier effective date for the right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that his symptoms did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or service connection.

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the back, right knee degenerative arthritis, and right ankle deltoid ligament sprain.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities from March 1, 2021, and an effective date of March 1, 2021, for eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as the prior VA examiner's opinion was found to be inadequate and did not address specific requests made by the Board.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes, headaches, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea due to the illegibility of new service treatment records from March 2021.