Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA examinations and medical opinions to address the Veteran's right knee disorder, lumbosacral sprain, and chronic scrotal and inguinal pain.

The Board found that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was not incurred or aggravated by his active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, migraine headaches, asthma, lumbosacral strain, right quadriceps strain, hemorrhoids, left bunion with pes planus, and other conditions. The claims are being remanded for additional development to determine the current severity of these conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to her service, but it could be proximately due to or aggravated by her service-connected fibromyalgia. The effective date for any grant of service connection will depend on when she first filed a claim for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his active military service, granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain is currently rated at 20 percent, and the claim for an increased rating has been denied.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, residuals of a TBI (memory loss), and obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's left buttock injury and refractive errors are not service-connected.

The Veteran's currently diagnosed sleep apnea is causally related to his service-connected PTSD, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee, right knee, and lumbar spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction disability is rated at a 20 percent rating, effective as of the date of this decision. The Board finds that he meets the criteria for such a rating based on significant testicular atrophy and loss of erectile power.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected PTSD and an internal medicine specialist opinion regarding whether his combined disability picture prevents him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and primary insomnia and nightmare disorder was granted. However, the initial compensable disability evaluation for these conditions has been denied from April 26, 2010 to August 23, 2011.

The Board has granted service connection for Parkinson's disease and reopened the claim for OSA secondary to PTSD. The Veteran was exposed to burn pits in Balad, Iraq during his military service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain and herniation of the nucleus pulposus, but the underlying issue of whether these conditions are related to service remains pending. The case is being remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to be related to his military service. The claim for chronic fatigue syndrome, as a qualifying chronic disability resulting from Persian Gulf War service, is denied due to lack of diagnosis and the finding that it is secondary to other disabilities. Service connection was granted for sleep apnea.

The Board granted higher initial ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, finding that bilateral elbow disability is related to service-connected diabetes and granting a TDIU.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current back disabilities, including lumbosacral strain and intervertebral disc syndrome with bilateral spinal nerve impairment to the lower extremities and penis, are related to his inservice injuries. As such, service connection is granted.

The Veteran's sleep apnea was granted service connection, and his left ankle swelling was granted a 40% rating effective January 1, 2007. The remaining issues are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, right leg disability, left hand disability, and sleep apnea have been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing. The claims of service connection for migraine headaches, major depressive disorder, degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine with musculoskeletal strain of the lumbosacral spine, and musculoskeletal strain of the cervical spine with degenerative changes are still pending.