Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has denied service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability and remanded the claim for respiratory disorder (COPD). The Veteran's current lumbosacral arthritis is not considered to be related to his military service, as there was no evidence of such in-service. For COPD, the Board found that an addendum opinion is needed due to conflicting medical records.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to the lack of a current disability. The case is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has granted service connection for primary idiopathic cold agglutinin autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The case is remanded to determine the nature and etiology of any current skin disorder, including urticaria and/or rosacea.

The Board has denied service connection for obesity, shin splints, sleep apnea, and sinusitis. The claims for sleep apnea and sinusitis are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea, but the claims for left foot disability, left elbow disability, and back disability are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and respiratory disability (including COPD) due to inadequate opinions from VA examiners. The claims are being returned for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing appropriate medical opinions.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection of colon cancer was granted. Service connection for hypertension, kidney stones, left leg disability, right leg blood clots (including swelling and weeping), deep vein thrombosis of the left lower extremity, neuropathy, lung disability, heart disability, sleep apnea, spinal cancer tumor, and stroke were denied.

The Board denied a claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with dextroscoliosis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not warrant a higher rating based on limitation of motion or neurological impairment.

The Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board has decided to remand this case for further examination and rating considerations.

The Veteran's service connection for sleep apnea and anxiety disorder is denied. The rating in excess of 30 percent for anxiety disorder from November 26, 2013 to January 8, 2017 is also denied. A rating in excess of 70 percent for anxiety disorder since January 9, 2017 is denied. An effective date prior to January 9, 2017 for the grant of a TDIU is also denied.

The Veteran was granted TDIU from December 19, 2018 due to his service-connected disabilities. However, the Board also remanded for extraschedular TDIU consideration prior to that date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of current hearing loss disability. The Veteran's tinnitus, however, was found to be related to his combat service and granted.,Service connection for tinnitus has been established due to the Veteran's reports of noise exposure during active duty and the presumption under 38 U.S.C. § 1154(b).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is causally related to his active service, granting entitlement to service connection.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his causes of death were not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's eating disorder prior to December 26, 2019 and denied a higher than 30 percent rating since that date.

The Board has determined that the reduction of ratings for right and left lower extremity sciatic neuropathy from 20 percent to 10 percent was improper, and has restored the original 20 percent ratings. The issues of increased ratings for lumbosacral spine disability and bilateral sciatic neuropathy are remanded due to lack of recent VA examination records.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his military service. The VA examiner did not consider all relevant factors, including the Veteran's history of obesity during service.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right upper extremities, kidney disorder, and sleep apnea due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial.,Service connection is granted for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy/carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic kidney disease secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Board dismissed all appeals for service connection and rating issues related to various conditions, including traumatic brain injury, hip conditions, spine condition, sleep disorder, hysterectomy, hemorrhoids, and obesity.

The Veteran's service-connected OSA is granted, and his initial rating for diabetes mellitus remains at 10 percent. His PTSD claim results in a grant of service connection but no increased rating.