Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, effective October 8, 2010. The left lower extremity radiculopathy is separately rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of sleep apnea and its relationship to service-connected PTSD with cognitive disorder and dissociative episodes. The claim is also inextricably intertwined with the SMC claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinea cruris is service connected, and his obstructive sleep apnea may be secondary to obesity resulting from a service-connected bilateral knee disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a nasal disorder, sleeping disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea. The claim for higher ratings for hypertension and spindle cell neoplasm with features of dermatofibroma sarcoma protuberans is also denied.

The Veteran's PTSD warrants a 70 percent rating, effective December 15, 2011. He is also entitled to TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

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

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied because she did not attend a VA examination scheduled in accordance with her increased rating claim without good cause.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to service or a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's adenocarcinoma esophageal was reopened on new evidence and granted.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent prior to July 23, 2010. The Board denied a higher initial rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of any neurological disability of the left lower extremity. The issues of entitlement to increased ratings for lumbosacral strain prior to January 30, 2014, and for neurological impairment of the left lower extremity are being remanded as they are inextricably intertwined.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, hearing loss, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran was not granted any of his requested benefits.

The Veteran's gastroenteritis and migraine headaches have been granted service connection.,Service connection for lower extremity nerve pain, asthma, and obstructive sleep apnea is pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, including as due to undiagnosed illness, is being remanded for additional development and a new VA examination.

The Veteran's current diagnosis of sleep apnea was not caused by or is otherwise related to his military service. The Board finds that the criteria for service connection are not met and therefore denies the claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was not incurred in service and is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected hypertension and/or PTSD. The claim for service connection for OSA as secondary to these conditions was denied.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for tinnitus, deviated nasal septum, low back disorder, and sleep apnea due to insufficient explanations in previous decisions. The Veteran is entitled to a new hearing on all four issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, respiratory failure due to or a consequence of metastatic liposarcoma, was not caused by or aggravated by his military service. The Board found no evidence linking any service-connected disability to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current sleep apnea disability is not causally or etiologically related to his active service and does not meet the criteria for secondary service connection based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension have been granted, effective January 14, 2011. The Board has also remanded the issue of increased ratings for carpal tunnel syndrome and the reopening of previously denied service connection petitions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches, arthritis of the cervical spine, and degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine. However, these claims have been denied as there is no evidence showing a causal relationship between any of these conditions and active service.