Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Veteran's chronic lumbosacral strain has been rated at 20 percent since July 29, 2013. Prior to that date, the disability was rated as noncompensable.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea.

The Board found no basis for a higher initial rating for the service-connected bilateral hearing loss prior to February 22, 2016 and denied an increased rating thereafter. The Veteran's lumbosacral strain was rated as 10 percent disabling based on forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 45 degrees.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was incurred in active service and granted service connection for this condition. The sinus disorder claim is remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding its etiology.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and increased ratings for cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. The evidence did not support a current diagnosis of sleep apnea or establish that any of these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected lumbosacral strain with osteoarthritis.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea, a respiratory condition, and sinusitis.

The Board found that the Veteran's lumbosacral strain has not worsened since his last VA examination in 2013, and thus does not warrant a higher disability rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is not related to service.,Evidence received since a final December 1996 rating decision includes new and material evidence relating to his right leg disability, which he seeks to reopen. The claim of entitlement to service connection for a right leg disability separate from radiculopathy is reopened.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a wart on the right arm, leptospirosis, obstructive sleep apnea, and acute renal failure have all been denied as they are not considered to be related to Gulf War illness or an undiagnosed illness.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than March 24, 2011 for sciatica of the left lower extremity and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (to include depression) were dismissed. The claim for a compensable rating for obstructive sleep apnea was granted from May 20, 2015 to July 4, 2016 with a 30 percent rating, and from July 5, 2016 with a 50 percent rating. The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to May 20, 2015 was denied due to the presence of other service-connected disabilities that precluded him from obtaining or maintaining gainful employment. From May 20, 2015 onwards, his claim for TDIU was granted.

The Board has granted service connection for arterial thrombosis, right leg above-the-knee amputation, erectile dysfunction, and obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

The Veteran's sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, skin rash on elbows and upper arm, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy are not related to his military service. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against these claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service treatment records and arranging for a VA examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea and acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's back disability is found to be related to his active service, and thus service connection for a back disability is granted.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's neck disability, bilateral arm disability, bilateral knee disability (as secondary to a service-connected lumbar spine disability), bilateral foot disability (as secondary to a service-connected lumbar spine disability), obstructive sleep apnea, and GERD. The grants of service connection are based on new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was granted service connection as it had an onset during active service.,There is no evidence of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, and the Veteran's symptoms are attributed to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's residuals of a pituitary tumor status post resection are not service-connected as they were not caused by exposure to chemicals or asbestos during service.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied because the condition did not have onset in service and there is no evidence linking it to exposure to chemicals or asbestos during service.