Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing a new VA examination to determine if any current left shoulder condition is related to service. The Veteran's lumbosacral condition claim remains on appeal.

The Board has remanded this case for additional development, including a comprehensive vocational assessment and functional capacity evaluation to determine the Veteran's ability to perform in his occupational field given his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records since November 2014, providing a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea, and readjudicating the claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted service connection for insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disorders, including multiple sclerosis.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was found to be incurred in active service, and the Board granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to outstanding medical records and the need for additional examinations. The claims will be reconsidered after these actions are completed.

The Veteran's low back disability, including DDD L5-S1, strain, and myositis, has been rated at 40 percent since May 1995. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to lack of incapacitating episodes or unfavorable ankylosis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his service-connected conditions and their impact on employment, as well as the need to obtain SSA disability records and other relevant treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea did not have its clinical onset in service and is not otherwise related to active duty. As a result, the claim for service connection for sleep apnea is denied.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, with the Board finding that symptoms began during active service and have persisted since.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected conditions have been denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (including MDD, PTSD, and anxiety disorder), sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, colon polyps, bilateral hand disorder (thumb arthritis), CTS of the upper extremities, and right ear hearing loss are related to his military service. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues for a hearing. Service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected PTSD, diabetes mellitus II, and heart disease, as well as due to Agent Orange exposure, remains under consideration.

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The Veteran's service-connected Major Depression and Lumbosacral Strain with Spondylolysis have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, meeting the criteria for a TDIU rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner to address whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to service and/or secondary to his service-connected primary insomnia/generalized anxiety disorder. The examiner should also consider the significance of 'REM sleep' and the Veteran's weight in their opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's insomnia is not service-connected, as it is a symptom of his non-service connected psychiatric disorder. The sleep apnea was not shown to have its onset in service and is not otherwise related to active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition and a rating in excess of 30 percent for nephropathy with hypertension and edema. The TDIU claim was granted, but at a lower rating than requested.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to have had its onset during active duty service. However, his hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia are considered laboratory findings without associated disability.