Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is related to service, and thus granted service connection for this condition. The issue of hypertension will be remanded as requested by the Board.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including cervical spine and hand conditions, prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for Bell's palsy, hypertension, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, hearing loss, bilateral knee arthritis, and gout were all denied as the conditions are not shown to have developed during active service or due to an established event, injury, or disease.

The RO has discontinued the 100 percent rating for residuals of a liposarcoma of the spermatic cord and assigned a noncompensable rating effective October 1, 2009. The Veteran's condition is rated based on residuals of a malignant neoplasm of the genitourinary system.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent prior to July 27, 2011. The Board found that the disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas. TDIU was granted for the period between June 1, 2011 and July 26, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to determine the nature and etiology of sleep apnea and the current severity of left maxillary sinusitis with postoperative retention cyst resection.

The Veteran's son is not eligible for Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) benefits because the Veteran has not been adjudicated to have a permanent and total disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his service-connected nasal septoplasty or any other factors.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, residuals of a traumatic brain injury, and PTSD due to lack of evidence meeting the diagnostic criteria.

The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of a chronic disability manifested by chest pain, sleep apnea, or right eye disability. Therefore, the Veteran's claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and a psychosis, finding that new and material evidence has been received. The claims are now considered on their merits.

The Board has ordered a remand to clarify the VA examiner's opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD chronically worsened his sleep apnea. The case will be readjudicated after this.

The Veteran's claims for a clothing allowance, dental disability, and hypertension are being remanded. The claim to reopen his sleep apnea is also pending. The Board will schedule the Veteran for a hearing at the RO in North Little Rock.

The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is proximately due to, or caused by his service-connected lumbosacral strain. The Board finds that the Veteran's cervical spine disability may be related to his service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbosacral spine disorder, ulcerative colitis, heart murmur, and obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia. The Veteran's current conditions are related to his service-connected lower extremity disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current hearing loss or tinnitus for VA purposes and thus cannot establish service connection. The claims for sleep apnea, depression, and Meniere's syndrome are remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's sleep-related symptoms, including snoring, gagging, restlessness, and daytime sleepiness, began during service. The Board finds that these symptoms are related to the current diagnosis of sleep apnea, which was diagnosed approximately 18 months after service separation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities, as well as his right and left knee disabilities, hypertension, and sleep apnea are all service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, claimed as secondary to spontaneous pneumothorax, has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine is currently rated at 40 percent, but his left lower extremity radiculopathy with sciatic nerve disability warrants a separate 20 percent evaluation.