Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current respiratory disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, sinusitis, nerve condition, or headaches related to service. The Veteran's prostate cancer and hypertension are also not linked to his exposure to mustard gas, herbicide agents, or other chemicals.

The Veteran withdrew all claims/appeals in his case, including the service connection for sleep apnea and TDIU prior to May 4, 2014.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of sleep apnea and must reconsider his claim for service connection for headache disorder. The reduction in rating for bilateral hearing loss is void ab initio due to lack of proper procedural steps, and an effective date prior to July 31, 2017 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted.

The Board has determined that remand is necessary for several claims, including service connection and rating issues related to the Veteran's right ilioinguinal neuralgia, osteoarthritis, GERD, acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, and sleep apnea. The effective dates of any potential awards are also in question.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied.,Service connection for kidney cancer is denied.,Service connection for head scar is denied.,Major depressive disorder is granted as service-connected.

The Board has remanded the cases of entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative disc disease with cervical strain and entitlement to service connection for lumbosacral strain due to lack of VA treatment records from 1993 to present, and inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability.

The claim for a higher rating than 10 percent for lumbosacral disc disease with left leg sciatica is denied. The claims for service connection for sleep apnea and TDIU are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether it arose during active service. The claim was decided on a direct basis.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for melanoma cancer and sleep apnea, leading to their dismissal.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hypertension and sleep apnea due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives. The hypertension claim is being remanded because it may be related to PTSD, while the sleep apnea claim requires a new opinion as the current one was inadequate.

The Veteran's DMII and hypertension are rated based on their current severity. The Board has not found evidence supporting higher ratings for these conditions prior to July 28, 2018, or thereafter. The Veteran’s OSA and back disorder have been remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for OSA and unspecified neurocognitive disorder as aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder with depressive disorder, resolving all doubts in his favor.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding his service-connected left shoulder strain, obstructive sleep apnea, major depressive disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatal hernia with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), migraine headaches, and total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).,The Veteran's left shoulder strain is currently rated as 20 percent disabling. The appeal for a higher rating remains pending.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and active service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for sleep apnea, rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD prior to October 30, 2017, and rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD as of October 30, 2017. Additional development is needed to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of sleep apnea and whether it was aggravated by service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability has been rated at 20 percent since July 2, 1999. The Board found that the current evidence does not support a higher rating as the Veteran still retained significant range of motion in his thoracolumbar spine.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and lack of objective evidence. The case will be returned for further development, including additional examinations and clarifying opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected syringomyelia (spinal cord injury) is granted. The initial rating for lumbosacral strain remains at 10 percent, and the initial rating for headaches is increased to 50 percent.

The Board has found that the VA examinations for sleep apnea and hypertension were inadequate, and thus remanded these matters for further development.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's lumbosacral spondylosis, finding that the evidence did not show forward flexion of less than 30 degrees or ankylosis.