Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has found the VA medical opinions inadequate and remanded for further development, including a new VA spine examination to address tingling, numbness, and muscle spasms in the Veteran's legs due to his back condition, and additional VA medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's OSA is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed disabilities. The AOJ is required to obtain further examinations and opinions on the nature and etiology of each disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for OSA and IBS, finding that these conditions are proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and obstructive sleep apnea to ensure that there is a complete record upon which to decide the Veteran's claim and to afford him every possible consideration.

The Veteran's back disability and lower extremity radiculopathies have been rated based on their severity, with some separate ratings for specific nerves involved. The initial rating of 40% has been granted from October 14, 2020, to February 27, 2023, for the back disability and lower extremity radiculopathies.

The Board denied service connection for TBI, lumbosacral spine disability, bilateral shoulder disability, and bilateral knee disability. The Veteran's claims were not granted as the evidence did not support a finding of current disabilities related to active service or an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding service connection for sleep apnea and TDIU. The Veteran's representative argued that there is a relationship between his MDD and sleep apnea, but the VA examiner did not provide sufficient reasoning in their opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, an eye condition (to include vision problems), breathing problems, a left knee condition, a right knee condition, a right ankle condition, sleep apnea, and skin rash have been dismissed as the Veteran did not appeal these issues in his VA Form 9.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal because the decision in the December 2019 appeal was not a valid appeal of any decision under either appeals system and did not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the appealed issues.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cardiovascular disorder (to include hypertension and premature atrial contractions) has been reopened, and the claim is granted.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded due to inadequate compliance with the Board's April 2023 remand instructions and the need for a supplemental medical opinion addressing the relationship between OSA and in-service exposures.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for further development and evaluation of the Veteran's lumbosacral strain condition.

The Board has remanded the TDIU claim prior to November 13, 2015 for consideration of an extraschedular rating under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b). The SMC based on housebound status is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not shown to preclude her from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and therefore the claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that his current diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea is not related to service or caused by his service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's claims for blindness, including light perception only, and sleep apnea have been denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.,Service connection for asthma has also been denied due to lack of a diagnosed condition related to service or undiagnosed illness.

The Veteran's low back disability, neck disability, and bilateral calf muscle pain have been granted service connection.,Obstructive sleep apnea has also been granted secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the condition had its onset in service. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and hypertension secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, but denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction. The decision is based on medical opinions that these conditions are not related to active duty.