Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and additional development is needed, including a toxic exposure evaluation. The Veteran's service connection claim for OSA remains pending.

The Veteran's service connection claims for sleep apnea and headaches have been denied. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for either condition.,The examiner concluded that the Veteran's current sleep apnea is not related to his service-connected PTSD, but rather due to smoking, obesity, and hypertension.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a gynecological disability (claimed as dysfunctional uterus syndrome), calcified granuloma, asthma, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD), and lumbosacral and left ankle disabilities. These claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions in light of potential toxic exposure from service.

The Veteran's DDD of the lumbosacral spine is now rated at 40 percent effective December 22, 2010.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions regarding his back pain, bilateral knee conditions, and bilateral hip conditions. The case will be returned to the Board after these actions are completed.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain and right knee disabilities are currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board has granted a TDIU. The claims for higher ratings remain pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to incomplete STRs and other missing records. The Veteran is entitled to service connection for tinnitus, but his claim remains pending on all other issues.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent, effective from February 26, 2014, but prior to August 10, 2022. The rating for the left lower extremity radiculopathy was granted at 40 percent as of December 30, 2021. TDIU benefits were granted effective from February 26, 2014.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence in the previous decision.

The Board found that the Veteran's combined disability rating was correctly calculated as 80 percent prior to September 4, 2019. A higher combined rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbosacral strain is being remanded due to the need for information regarding the competence of the VA examiner who conducted her back examination.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for secondary service connection for sleep apnea and GERD, finding that both conditions are related to his service-connected spinocerebellar ataxia and sleep apnea respectively.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to unresolved issues regarding in-service stressors, medical opinions needed, and verification of certain conditions. The appeals are now pending again with the VA.

The Board has denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's radiculopathy-left extremity sciatic nerve and remanded the issues regarding earlier effective date for TDIU and increased rating for lumbosacral spine.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding no current diagnosis of the condition and insufficient evidence to establish a link between his in-service symptoms and any diagnosed disability.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is dismissed as the VA granted his claim in November 2023, effective October 22, 2015.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it was not caused or aggravated by his military service and did not have a direct relationship to his service-connected psychiatric disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for multiple myeloma and lumbosacral strain secondary to multiple myeloma due to the in-service occurrence of symptoms that may be related to these conditions, but a definitive diagnosis is lacking. A medical opinion is needed to determine if the current diagnoses are at least as likely as not due to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for sleep apnea and whether obesity is an intermediate step between service-connected disabilities and sleep apnea. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered with new medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to June 14, 2017 and for a higher initial rating from June 14, 2017 for lumbosacral spine strain with degenerative disc disease are dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of May 8, 2013 for the grant of an initial 10 percent rating for residuals of a left tibia fracture is denied. The Veteran's claim for an initial 20 percent rating, but no higher, for residuals of left tibia fracture is granted.