Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Board found no evidence to support a service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder disorder, as her current condition is not related to her period of active duty service. The other claims were also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of August 16, 2006 for his service connection granted for sleep apnea. The decision found that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the June 1994 rating decision denying initial service connection.

The Veteran's low back disability, which included lumbar strain, myositis, and degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, was manifested by pain; flare-ups as frequently as three times per week; flexion ranging from 0 to 80 degrees with observed pain at 60 degrees; extension ranging from 0 to 30 degrees with observed pain at 20 degrees; tenderness to palpation; spasms; guarding; and reversed lordosis. The Veteran was granted an initial disability rating of 20 percent for his low back disability prior to June 13, 2008.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for skin rash, left hand pain, left shoulder pain, eye disorder, allergic rhinitis, residuals of spontaneous pneumothorax, and PTSD were all denied. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea was granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus and PTSD is remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus and PTSD is remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin condition (presumptive due to herbicide exposure) is remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disability is remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle disability is remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hair loss, to include as due to herbicide exposure is remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a peptic ulcer with gastrointestinal bleeding is remanded.

The Veteran seeks service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, which he claims is related to his active military service. The Board finds that the current evidence does not provide sufficient information to make a decision on this claim and therefore remands it for further development.

The Board has determined that additional examinations and medical opinions are needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, Alzheimer's dementia, sleep apnea, TBI, heart murmur, GERD, gastritis, and type one chiari. The case is REMANDED for these actions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations of his lumbosacral strain and tinea versicolor.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbosacral spine compression fracture is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a broken nose, obstructive sleep apnea secondary to the broken nose, and low back condition with radiculopathy. The Veteran's low back condition is considered aggravated by his service-connected residuals of a broken nose.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for lumbosacral strain is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination and obtaining missing VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for sleep apnea is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining her January 2011 sleep study records and a VA medical opinion regarding whether she requires a breathing assistance device.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of this case as he is no longer alive.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected lumbosacral strain with herniated nucleus pulposus was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's claimed conditions were not found to be related to service, including as due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Veteran's effective date for a 10 percent disability rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine at L5-S1 is granted as February 7, 2005.

The Board has granted an initial compensable rating of 10 percent for the service-connected lumbosacral strain residuals prior to March 19, 2005.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded due to incomplete medical opinions regarding the etiology of his disability. Additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination or addendum to the existing one, is required.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as the evidence did not establish a chronic disability or objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability resulting from an undiagnosed illness in the Southwest Asia Theater during the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's sleep apnea, which is currently rated at 50 percent disabling, does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it does not manifest chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention or cor pulmonale.