Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is likely to have started during his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities has been established, resulting in the grant of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance/housebound.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's sleep-related symptoms are attributable to an undiagnosed illness or a chronic unexplained multi-symptom illness, and for obtaining additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral knee degenerative arthritis, and bilateral pes planus were all found to be caused by service. The left knee meniscus tear was not related to service.,Service connection for the Veteran’s bilateral knee and foot disabilities (including bilateral pes planus) has been granted.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for sleep apnea was denied. Service connection for a GI disorder and fibromyalgia were also denied as the evidence did not establish a nexus between these conditions and active service.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral pes planus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and adjustment disorder with depressed mood), and obstructive sleep apnea. The effective date issue is denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for sleep apnea and has remanded the issues of increased ratings for left ankle disability, urethral stricture, left knee disability, right knee disability, and PTSD. The decision is pending further action.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of a VA examination and because the Veteran's representative contends that his sleep apnea is related to service or secondary to his throat cancer. The Veteran needs to be examined for his sleep apnea, and an opinion must be provided regarding whether his throat cancer caused or aggravated his sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for seborrheic dermatitis and to reopen his claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's Obstructive Sleep Apnea is related to his service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to acoustic trauma from his honorable period of service.,VA has a heightened duty to assist the Veteran in developing his claims since government records may have been lost. Relevant medical and personnel records should be obtained.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to service, including exposure to environmental hazards in Southwest Asia. The VA examiner found that OSA was more likely than not caused by obesity rather than military service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases for further medical opinions to determine if the Veteran's GERD and Obstructive Sleep Apnea are aggravated by his service-connected anxiety disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's symptoms of snoring and daytime sleepiness during service are consistent with OSA. The Board also found that there is a causal relationship between the current diagnosis of OSA and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Movement Disorder, and Head Injury Residuals Other Than Somatization Disorder. The Veteran's current conditions are related to his active service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for several disabilities, including a bilateral elbow disability, bilateral ankle disability, sleep apnea, reflux, and memory loss, all claimed as due to Gulf War Syndrome. Additional evidence is needed to confirm the Veteran's service in the Persian Gulf War, and an examination is required to determine if the memory loss is related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the claim was not filed until August 5, 2016, and thus the effective date is set at that time.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and OSA, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are etiologically related to his in-service stressors.,Service connection is also granted for OSA as secondary to PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea as there was no evidence of its occurrence during service and the Veteran's current diagnosis is not causally related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is denied as there is no direct evidence of its onset in service, and the weight of the evidence does not support a finding that it was caused or aggravated by PTSD or due to exposure to herbicide agents during service.