Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has not found new and material evidence to support these claims. The left shoulder disability claim is granted as there is now credible evidence of a current condition. The left knee disability, sinus disability (including sinusitis), sleep disorder (including sleep apnea and secondary to tinnitus), and hypertension claims are denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for left hand, right hand, low back, left leg, right leg, bilateral hearing loss, COPD, sleep apnea, residuals of head trauma, and headache disorder as well as the psychiatric disorders. The VA will obtain all outstanding VA treatment records and provide a VA psychiatric examination to determine if any current psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Veteran's hemorrhoids and body aches of the entire body are found to have begun during service, while kidney stones with lithotripsy, OSA with insomnia, right leg numbness and tingling, and cardiovascular disorder manifested by heart palpitations are not related to service.,Further examination is needed for the claims regarding body aches of the entire body, OSA with insomnia, right leg numbness and tingling, and cardiovascular disorder.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including PTSD, DM due to herbicide exposure in Thailand, low back condition, HTN secondary to DM, and OSA. The claims are being remanded for further development of evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that further development is needed for the issues of service connection for lumbosacral spine DDD, cervical spine DDD, and cervical radiculopathy. The Veteran's claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to provide a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for COPD, diabetes mellitus, type II, heart disability, erectile dysfunction, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and sleep apnea have been granted. The appeals are based on presumed exposure to herbicides during service in the Republic of Vietnam.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is currently rated as 20 percent disabling. The Board denied an increased evaluation, finding that the evidence did not show limitation of motion to less than 15 degrees in forward flexion or a combined range of motion less than 170 degrees.,Service connection for sleep apnea was denied because there was no medical evidence linking it to the service-connected cervical spine disability. The Board found that the Veteran's sleep apnea is more likely due to other factors such as age, weight, and family history.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory condition, heart disability (ischemic heart disease), and sleep apnea has been reopened. The Board finds that new evidence received since the last final denial raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left heel spur and obstructive sleep apnea is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions on secondary service connection.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a link to service.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for sleep apnea due to incomplete examination and lack of recent VA treatment records. The Veteran's lay statements indicate he experienced symptoms prior to service, but there is no evidence in the claims file that supports this. A new VA examination is needed to determine if his current sleep apnea disability had its onset during active service or elsewhere.

The Veteran's claims for prostate cancer, asthma, sleep apnea with asthma, and sinusitis are being remanded due to the addition of new evidence. The RO will review this evidence and issue a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC).

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current sleep apnea is not related to his in-service nasal trauma and surgeries. The VA examiner opined that the septal deviation and septoplasty did not cause or worsen the Veteran's later diagnosed sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression) due to the need for further examination.

The Board has denied service connection for an irregular heartbeat and erectile dysfunction (ED). The claims of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim for service connection for a sinus disability, service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, and service connection for sleep apnea are remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck disability is not etiologically related to active service, as a chronic neck disability was not present in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service discharge. The most probative evidence does not relate the Veteran's neck disability to his active service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals on the issues of obstructive sleep apnea, chronic fatigue syndrome, and headaches before a decision was made by the Board.

The Board has dismissed all appeals regarding service connection for various disabilities, including left and right shoulder disabilities, obstructive sleep apnea, heart disability (CAD), left and right wrist disabilities, and paralysis of the median nerve. The Veteran withdrew his appeals for these issues during a videoconference hearing.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine is remanded due to insufficient evidence and need for updated VA examination.

The Veteran's hypertension, left ankle sprain with degenerative joint disease, and exercise-induced anaphylaxis with allergic rhinitis are all granted. The rating for the left ankle sprain is increased to 10 percent. The Veteran's service-connected exercise-induced anaphylaxis with allergic rhinitis is granted at a higher rate of 100 percent prior to October 13, 2011. Service connection for sleep apnea remains pending and requires further evaluation.