Sleep apnea decisions — 2026

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that there is no credible evidence of continuity of symptomatology since service or that current back disabilities have a nexus to active service.

The appeal for service connection for sleep apnea is dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review options.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate etiology opinions and pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Veteran is seeking service connection for dizziness, vertigo, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic sinusitis.

The Veteran's claims for glaucoma, bilateral foot disability, and sleep apnea were denied. The claim for allergic rhinitis was granted with a 10% rating assigned effective June 21, 2022 (the date of the supplemental claim). The claim for costochondritis with subluxations of the costochondral joints was granted.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that her current condition is related to an in-service injury and resolving all doubt in her favor.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, either directly or as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis and tinnitus. The decision denies both theories of service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and requires an updated medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to a relationship between the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and his service-connected tinnitus, thus granting service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available for this condition. The Board denied an increased rating as his flexion and extension were within the range that would warrant a higher rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine if it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for OSA as secondary to PTSD, finding that the Veteran's obesity, caused by his service-connected PTSD, is an intermediate step in causing his current OSA.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) began during her active-duty military service and granted her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for neck, heartburn (acid reflux), bilateral hip condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and bilateral knee conditions have all been denied.,Service connection has not been established for any of the claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar and lumbosacral spine prior to July 24, 2024.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities precluded him from obtaining or securing substantially gainful employment since November 20, 2015. The effective date for the TDIU is set at November 20, 2015.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The evidence is in approximate balance on whether OSA was proximately due to or aggravated by PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's moderate chronic lumbosacral strain and intervertebral disc syndrome were denied increased ratings. The Veteran had a 10% rating prior to June 9, 2022, and a 40% rating beginning on that date.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple conditions has been dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Migraine Headaches secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected psychiatric disorder. The effective date is April 1, 2024.