Sleep apnea decisions — 2026

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to be causally related to his active duty service, specifically an in-service nose injury during Ranger School. The Board granted the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the AOJ's decision denying eligibility for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is not supported by adequate reasoning and must be remanded to allow for a thorough review, including obtaining medical opinions on whether it is in the best interest of the Veteran to participate in the PCAFC program.

The Board denied service connection for OSA, finding that the persuasive weight of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran incurred OSA in service.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea has been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal prior to a hearing.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his back disability is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. A new VA examination will be scheduled to determine the severity of his condition, including during flare-ups.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings on multiple service-connected conditions have been denied as the necessary VA examinations were missed without good cause.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that there was no new and relevant evidence to support such a claim.

The Board has determined that there were duty to assist errors in the previous rating decisions and remands the cases for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, bilateral foot condition, bilateral knee condition, and sleep apnea as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after his service. The Veteran did not provide sufficient medical evidence to establish a direct relationship between his current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's TDIU and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) are granted effective May 12, 2025. The decision is based on the combination of his service-connected disabilities rendering him unemployable as of that date.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's preexisting conditions were aggravated by active service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a stomach disability, back disability, and an acquired psychiatric disability due to conflicting evidence regarding their onset and relationship to service.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities is remanded. The Board found that the VA addendum opinions were inadequate as they did not address whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions result in the need of regular aid and attendance.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current Obstructive Sleep Apnea is related to his in-service symptoms and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, sleep apnea, bilateral wrist condition, and right knee condition have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's effective date for a 30 percent rating for right knee disability is set to October 2, 2021.,An effective date of October 2, 2021, and no earlier, has been granted for the 30 percent rating for left knee disability. The effective dates for right ankle and left ankle disabilities are not specified as they were denied or not applicable in this decision.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and a rating in excess of 60 percent for asthma with chronic cough is dismissed as moot due to the grant of these claims by the AOJ.

Your appeal for service connection for sleep apnea has been dismissed because it is a duplicate of an earlier decision.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims of service connection for sleep apnea, right knee disability, and right shoulder disability due to improper docketing.

The Board has found that new evidence was received and remanded the issue of service connection for hypertension, which is secondary to obstructive sleep apnea. The case must be returned to the RO for an addendum opinion on whether the Veteran's hypertension is at least as likely as not due to or aggravated by his service-connected obstructive sleep apnea.