Sleep apnea decisions — 2026

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is a direct result of his active duty service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted with an effective date of May 31, 2019. The Board denied a request for an earlier effective date.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence linking his current diagnosis to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, as secondary to a service-connected lumbar spine disability. Additional medical opinions are needed regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his service and/or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's OSA and his service-connected hypertension, as well as the nature of his in-service herbicide exposure. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to provide these necessary opinions.

The Board has determined that there was a duty to assist error and remanded the case for further development. The Veteran's sleep apnea is being reviewed again due to his service-connected disabilities, specifically right ankle arthritis with spurs and tendonitis, which may have caused obesity leading to sleep apnea.

The Veteran's OSA is granted as secondary to his service-connected insomnia with alcohol use disorder. Bilateral hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, and vertigo are denied.

The Veteran's VA benefits should not be withheld to recoup his separation pay due to service-connected sleep apnea and plantar fasciitis. The Board finds an error in the rate of recoupment calculation and requests an audit.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected tinnitus. The issues are being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the original decision.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is granted. The claims for right elbow, left elbow, right knee, and left knee disorders are remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for PTSD is granted. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for OSA due to pre-existing duty to assist errors.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain disability was rated at 10 percent prior to February 3, 2025. The rating was increased to 20 percent effective February 3, 2025.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by his attorney, and the Board is dismissing the case.

The Veteran's SMC claim is denied because he does not have additional service-connected disabilities independently rated at 60 percent or more, separate and distinct from his major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's service connection claims for GERD, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus type II, and kidney disease have all been denied as there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's sleep apnea was granted service connection. The issue of secondary service connection for obesity is remanded.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea, finding no basis to grant the claim based on continuous pursuit due to a time limit extension request.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The case is being remanded to obtain an addendum medical opinion addressing a 2018 study submitted by the Veteran, which links air pollution with OSA. The examiner must address this evidence and provide a rationale for their conclusion.