Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his service-connected lumbosacral strain, spinal stenosis at L4-L5 and L5-S1, spurring at L3, and narrowing L4-L5 disc space has been dismissed as the Veteran requested withdrawal of all issues on appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development of records from SSA and VA treatment facilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including verification of his service periods and obtaining VA treatment records. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disability, sleep apnea, and left ankle disability are also being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule him for a videoconference hearing due to an undeliverable notice of his requested hearing.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, right shoulder and left shoulder disabilities, a dental condition, a kidney disability, a right arm disability, and a low back disability. The appeals were based on direct service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed sleep apnea is etiologically related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected Type II diabetes mellitus is found to be the cause of his obstructive sleep apnea, and therefore he is granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability rating and individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities are being remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is granted. Service connection for sleep apnea, right knee degenerative joint disease, and posttraumatic headaches are all established. The reduction of the disability rating for right knee instability from 10% to noncompensable effective February 1, 2010 is upheld. An initial rating in excess of 10 percent for posttraumatic headaches is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting information regarding the Veteran's hearing request. The Veteran is entitled to a videoconference hearing at the earliest opportunity.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current obstructive sleep apnea disability is directly related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to his service-connected PTSD, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right femur fracture, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a vocational rehabilitation examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and PTSD due to incomplete development, including a need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, but the case is now being remanded to obtain a new opinion on both direct and secondary service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea did not have onset during service, was not caused by service-connected disabilities, and was aggravated by a service-connected disability (PTSD). Therefore, it denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under VA's schedular guidelines. Service connection claims for back, respiratory, and hypertension disorders are also pending.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for frostbite of the hands and chronic lumbosacral sprain, to include as secondary to service-connected status post-arthroscopy, left medial and lateral meniscus tear. The evidence received since the last final rating decision relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.