Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction due to incomplete medical opinions, potential secondary service connection issues, and new law considerations. The claims will be reviewed with additional examinations and opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for muscle pain, finding that there is no current disability and insufficient evidence to establish a link between his in-service complaints of muscle-related symptoms and any diagnosed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal of the initial ratings for unspecified anxiety disorder and bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board finds that the most persuasive evidence does not support a higher rating than 30 percent for unspecified anxiety disorder or noncompensable for bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran's appeals regarding service connection for migraines, right shoulder disability, left foot disability (pes planus), right foot disability (pes planus), and right knee disability are remanded. The appeal of service connection for sleep apnea is also remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected Right Knee Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, with a rating of 50% effective December 4, 2019.

The Board has denied service connection for lung cancer and remanded the issues of service connection for thyroid disorder and lumbosacral strain due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors and requests additional opinions on whether the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disability, and if so, whether it was a substantial factor in causing his current obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's initial rating for vitiligo is granted at a 10 percent level. The Board finds the evidence more nearly approximates a 10 percent disability rating for lumbosacral strain, left ankle collateral ligament sprain, right ankle collateral ligament sprain, and lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve due to static symptoms beginning February 2, 2018. The Veteran's sinusitis is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The opinion provided by the VA examiner in June 2021 found that the Veteran's sleep apnea is at least as likely as not aggravated beyond its natural progression by his PTSD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete review of evidence and failure to obtain Social Security Administration records. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, left ankle arthritis, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his GERD and OSA, as well as a VA examination for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, right knee degenerative arthritis, and left knee osteoarthritis. The AOJ will consider any new evidence submitted during this process.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck disability, headaches, hernia disability, sleep apnea, bruxism, left knee disability, right knee disability, and left shoulder disability. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or in-service events that would support these claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), finding that OSA is not related to PTSD and is not otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, specifically whether it is secondary to a service-connected disability or caused by obesity. The examiner must provide opinions on both causation and aggravation.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI and lumbosacral strain due to errors in verifying periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (INACDUTRA). The VA examiner's opinions are also inadequate, and further medical examination may be necessary.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates as his conditions did not meet criteria for increased ratings in the year preceding the November 2021 VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding the need for an addendum opinion on whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's symptoms during active duty and a subsequent monitored test after separation are sufficient to establish service connection.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for sleep apnea due to inadequate medical opinion in the January 2022 VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied due to his failure to report for VA examinations without providing good cause.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as it is a stand-alone claim and not related to the appeal stream that was before the Board.