Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for heart disorder, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea due to incomplete service personnel records. The AOJ is required to obtain all relevant documents from the Veteran's period of service in the Air Force Reserve.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his service, secondary to PTSD, or due to herbicide agent exposure. The Veteran will need a VA examination to address these issues.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it was incurred during active service and is not related to any other condition. The decision also grants service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD.

The Board has denied service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the rating for PTSD and TDIU issues. The Veteran's claim for sleep apnea is denied as there is no evidence that it began during active service or is related to any event, injury, or disease during service. For PTSD, a VA examination is needed to determine its current severity.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between his current condition and his military service. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish secondary service connection due to PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to PTSD with depression. The Veteran's credible reports of snoring during active duty and thereafter need to be addressed in a new VA medical opinion.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for dyspepsia and dysthymic disorder have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals.,Service connection for sleep apnea was denied in an unappealed November 2012 rating decision, and new evidence received since then does not raise a reasonable probability of substantiating the claim. Service connection for an undiagnosed illness claimed to manifest as muscle aches, sleep disturbances, fatigue, moodiness, and sore joints has been reopened due to new evidence.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as he has been rendered unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities. The Veteran also withdrew his increased rating for PTSD, and the Board does not have jurisdiction over the sleep apnea issue.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to major depressive disorder due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology and relationship between these conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's sinusitis and service, as well as the secondary relationship of obstructive sleep apnea to sinusitis.

The Board has remanded the claims for right shoulder disability, erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, and a skin disability (other than genital herpes) due to the need for further development. Specifically, a new VA examination is required for each of these issues.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted an initial rating of 70 percent from September 24, 2019. The appeal for a higher rating is denied. A TDIU is granted effective from February 18, 2011.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine disability is currently rated at 40 percent, which corresponds to a moderate limitation of motion. The appeal has been denied as the evidence does not support an increase in rating beyond this level.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lung disorder, sleep apnea, stroke, seizure disorder, and hypertension are not related to his service-connected disabilities. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for a back disability and hemorrhoids, but has determined that further development is needed to address the remaining issues of service connection for lumbosacral spine disability, left leg disability (including radiculopathy and leg shortening), forehead scar, and psychiatric disability. The decision on these issues will be remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various conditions, including cervical spine disorder, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, headache disorder, sleep apnea, and hypertension. The appeal is not about the rating or effective date of these conditions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding increased ratings for back and right knee disabilities, as well as the TDIU prior to September 29, 2015.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disability, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and sleep apnea have been denied. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to additional evidence being added to the record.