Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain was granted a disability rating of 20 percent effective April 3, 2015. The right knee degenerative joint disease and left knee strain were also granted increased ratings.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, and the Board has dismissed all issues.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depressive disorder is granted. The claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities, hypertension, sleep apnea, coronary artery disease, left leg, right leg, left foot, right foot, left hip, and right hip disorders are remanded.

The Veteran's sleep apnea and left foot pes planus have been granted service connection. The issue of entitlement to a higher rating for the left foot pes planus has also been resolved in his favor.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea had its onset during his active service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating claim for right hand disability was denied. The claims for service connection of bilateral flat feet/pes planus, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and erectile dysfunction were reopened due to new evidence received since the last final decisions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no direct or secondary service connection. The evidence did not establish a nexus between his in-service injuries and his current condition.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was granted service connection as it is considered to have started during his active military service.

The Board has determined that the VA examination conducted in February 2012 is inadequate for decision-making purposes and requires further evaluation. The Veteran's sleep apnea may be related to his service or secondary to his service-connected disabilities, but this needs to be clarified with a new examination.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease, all of which the Veteran claimed were due to in-service herbicide exposure. The evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during his active duty.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for a medical opinion regarding its relationship to his service, including presumed herbicide agent exposure.

The Veteran's whole-body pain is attributed to skeletal arthritis, which has no direct connection to service.,Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown as current disabilities for VA purposes.,Tinnitus began more than a year after separation from active duty service and is unrelated to any aspect of service.,The Veteran's diagnosed sleep apnea is not related to service, with no evidence suggesting an in-service onset or connection.,There is no objective evidence showing hair loss.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that these conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected lumbosacral strain is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to assess the severity of his disability, including pain on range of motion testing and an estimation of functional loss during flare-ups.

The Veteran's disability rating for lumbosacral strain was reduced from 40% to 20%, but the RO restored the 40% rating effective October 1, 2015.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's motion for revision of a June 25, 2014 decision based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE) as it did not meet the pleading requirements.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and denied increased ratings for lumbosacral spondylosis, left lower radiculopathy, and right lower radiculopathy. The Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by service as there is no evidence of it within one year post-service. His lumbosacral spondylosis did not result in incapacitating episodes requiring bed rest, so a higher rating could not be granted.

The Veteran's central sleep apnea is being remanded for further examination and opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not related to her service-connected degenerative disc disease, including the medications used.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of various disabilities, including sleep apnea, left knee disability, right knee disability, right ankle disability, chronic sinusitis, stress incontinence, residuals from cervical biopsies, and alopecia.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for sleep apnea, right hip disorder, left hip disorder, right hand disorder, left hand disorder, and right arm disorder due to inadequate medical opinions in the October 2015 VA examination.