Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is found to have its onset during active service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disorder and cervical spine disorder are attributable to service, thus granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent since September 20, 2005. The rating is based on the current severity of his disability without considering any past medical history or symptoms.

The Board found that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and respiratory/pulmonary disorder did not have their onset in service or were otherwise related to service. The residuals of a tonsillectomy are also not considered as having been caused by service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating on an extraschedular basis for obstructive sleep apnea was denied. The current effective date is October 7, 1996.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea must be remanded due to incomplete records and need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims, including obtaining relevant medical records and attempting to locate a specific VA form from 1992.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic multisymptom illness manifested by myalgia is service-connected, resolving all doubts in her favor.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service connection for Barrett's mucosa and hernias as secondary to Barrett's mucosa was granted, but the initial rating assigned for diabetic retinopathy is noncompensable.,TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities combine to render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and his TDIU claim is granted from January 12, 2010.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone or in combination have resulted in loss of use of one lower extremity (left) together with residuals of organic disease or injury which so affect the functions of balance or propulsion as to preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair. Therefore, she is eligible for financial assistance in acquiring an automobile and adaptive equipment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from engaging in substantially gainful employment as of June 16, 2011.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was denied in a December 2005 rating decision. The effective date of the award is set at June 21, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case due to further development being needed, including verifying service dates and affording the Veteran VA examination(s). The appeal is now pending again.

The Board finds the Veteran is entitled to service connection for a deviated septum with recurrent sinusitis, as it was caused by an in-service occurrence. The lower back condition and PTSD claims are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable evaluation prior to October 28, 2011 was denied as his pre-existing lumbosacral spine disability did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. From October 28, 2011 onwards, his claim for an increased evaluation was also denied due to lack of evidence showing incapacitating episodes or unfavorable ankylosis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from Miami and conducting examinations to determine the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine and right lumbosacral radiculopathy.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine if his obstructive sleep apnea is related to service, specifically his job duties as a saturation diver and assault boat coxswain. The examiner should also assess whether the Veteran's current sleep apnea was caused or aggravated by his service-connected atrophic rhinitis.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's sleep disorder, if any. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his claimed sleep disorder as directly related to service or secondary to his service-connected PTSD.