Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for bilateral hallux valgus and a rating in excess of 0 percent for bilateral hearing loss during the September 2017 Board hearing. The appeal for sleep apnea remains.

The Board denied the claim as there is no evidence that any service-connected disability caused or contributed to the Veteran's death from metastatic transitional cell cancer.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with DJD and DDD was granted a 40 percent disability rating effective October 25, 2012.,From October 25, 2012 to November 14, 2016, the Veteran's disability rating for her lumbosacral strain with DJD and DDD was increased from 20 percent to 40 percent.,After November 14, 2016, the Veteran's disability rating remains at 40 percent.

The Board finds that the Veteran's macular degeneration and lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease at L4-L5 are not service-connected. The ankle conditions have been rated appropriately, but the Veteran is found to be unemployable due to his disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's sleep apnea and sexual dysfunction including erectile dysfunction did not manifest during service or are otherwise etiologically related to service. The evidence does not support a finding of secondary service connection due to his hypertension.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was not caused by his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating of 40 percent or higher for a chronic lumbosacral strain.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea had its onset during service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease was not earlier than April 8, 2012.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and awarded a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD, the highest available under VA's rating criteria.

The Board has granted service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and bilateral osteoarthritis of the knees, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran seeks to establish service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, which he contends is secondary to his service-connected PTSD with general anxiety disorder and unspecified depressive disorder. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's sleep apnea and his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is being remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his condition, as well as whether it is related to service. The appeal will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, heart condition, sleep apnea, and memory loss disability as they are not etiologically related to his active service.

The Veteran is found unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to service-connected disabilities, specifically PTSD, sleep apnea, and ankle strain. The Board grants the TDIU.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to have had its onset during service, and the Board grants service connection for this disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and obstructive sleep apnea are being remanded to obtain additional medical records, particularly from his VA treatment in New York prior to 2002. The AOJ must also attempt to obtain private emergency room records from the 1990s where the Veteran reported breathing problems.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to procedural defects, specifically the failure to issue a statement of the case for his claims of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, left knee disability, confusion, lack of concentration and depression (claimed as Gulf War illness), and chronic fatigue syndrome (claimed as Gulf War illness).

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA medical opinion on whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is due to in-service herbicide-agent exposure and a VA examination to determine the existence and etiology of any identified bilateral lung nodules and/or calcified pleural plaques.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder is service-connected, and his sleep apnea is secondary to this condition. The Board finds no evidence of asbestos exposure or other conditions related to service.