Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's OSA and IBS are presumed to be related to his service in the Gulf War, as per the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1117 (West 2002).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA medical records and for further examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed psychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his active duty. The Board finds that the Veteran's sleep apnea did not develop due to his service-connected closed head injury.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining service personnel records and conducting VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is as likely as not attributable to her active military service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is granted, as the evidence supports a finding that his current hearing loss disability is related to military noise exposure. The issue of entitlement to an increased rating for his low back disability remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected lumbosacral strain with neuralgia of the left lumbosacral plexus is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine is currently rated at 20 percent, which is in line with the criteria for a disability rating based on limitation of motion.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete records and additional evidence is needed before a decision can be made.

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

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to insufficient evidence of unemployability and the need for a VA examination to assess his ability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current ankle disability to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that retinitis pigmentosa preexisted service and did not increase in severity during service, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his DDD of the lumbosacral spine was denied as there was no evidence of severe limitation of motion, forward flexion of less than 30 degrees, or spinal ankylosis prior to February 1, 2006.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent, effective from the date of this decision. His bilateral sciatic neuropathy is also rated at 40 percent, effective from the date of this decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and a back disability. The Veteran did not meet his burden of establishing that current disabilities are related to service.

The Veteran's sleep apnea did not have its onset in active service and is not otherwise etiologically related to service. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against his claim for entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings for various disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting service connection for OSA, or assigning higher initial ratings for the other conditions.

The Board denied service connection for benign prostate hypertrophy, disability manifested by hyperventilation/shortness of breath, a right leg disorder and sleep apnea as the evidence did not support these claims.