Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle disability, bilateral foot disability, and sleep apnea are related to his military service.

The Veteran's currently diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea is related to symptoms he experienced during service, including cessation of breathing, snoring, fatigue, and headaches. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and hypertension, finding that the Veteran's current conditions did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected lumbar sprain and right knee patellar tendonitis, as well as a determination on whether he has sleep apnea that may be related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and residuals of a traumatic brain injury. The evidence did not support these claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's sleep apnea did not have an onset during active service and is not otherwise related to active service or caused by his service-connected rhinitis. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and is not secondary to a service-connected disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and conducting a VA examination. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was remanded due to the need for further development and consideration of additional medical evidence submitted by the Veteran. The case is now pending with the RO.

The Board found that the Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to his military service or a service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hammertoes, bilateral pes planus (flat foot), rheumatoid arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, and obstructive sleep apnea as there was no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and sleep apnea are service-connected, with evidence showing current diagnoses, in-service treatment, and continuity of symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD and dysthymic disorder) are denied. The claim for increased rating for status post laminectomy lumbosacral spine with low back pain is granted to a maximum of 40 percent from September 20, 2010 to August 6, 2016, but denied thereafter. Separate initial ratings in excess of 10 percent are not warranted for femoral nerve radiculopathy of the right leg and sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the left leg.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and sleep apnea are being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for examinations to determine their etiology.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have not approximated total occupational and social impairment, but his service-connected PTSD has prevented him from being able to secure and maintain gainful employment. The Veteran is granted a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of records, including Gulf War Registry exam records.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination reports and the need for updated treatment records.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee disability was denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to military service. The appeal regarding PTSD has been granted, with a rating in excess of 50 percent from November 23, 2013, and TDIU is granted effective since that date.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is considered a subsequent manifestation of his already service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with osteoarthritis.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee disability and found that the Veteran's current left knee condition is at least as likely as not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right knee disability. The claims for PTSD, sleep apnea, and right ankle disability were withdrawn by the Veteran prior to decision.