Sleep apnea Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination to determine the nature, extent, and etiology of his sleep apnea. The claims will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, recurrent tinnitus, and residuals of nasal surgery (claimed as sleep apnea) due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, which include depression, cervical spine strain, traumatic injury to the lumbosacral spine with strain, post-traumatic right supraorbital neuropathy, and visual field defect of the right eye with glaucoma, have been rated based on their individual effects. The combined rating is 80 percent.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking any heart condition to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's low back disorder and sleep apnea have been granted service connection. The increased rating claims for cardiovascular disease, rhinosinusitis, right wrist, and right knee disorders are pending.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the initial claims of increased ratings for cervical and lumbosacral spine disabilities before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a thoracic spine disability and hepatomegaly were denied, while her claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral spine arthritis was granted.

The Veteran's request for additional training and computer assistance was denied as it is not necessary to improve his independence in daily living given the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has ordered additional development due to the need for evidence regarding whether the Veteran's lumbosacral strain is related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his cervical spine, lumbosacral spine, and bilateral flat feet disabilities were denied. The claim for PTSD was also denied.

The Veteran's lumbosacral DDD with history of strain was granted a 20 percent rating effective March 15, 2006. The claim for higher ratings remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his sleep apnea syndrome and eye disorders.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine. The claim for residuals of an injury to the thoracic-lumbar spine is remanded due to incomplete examination.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings on several service-connected conditions was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claim for a higher rating for right knee strain.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and higher initial ratings were denied. The low back disability was not rated higher than 40 percent since February 1, 2008. The bilateral shoulder disorder may not be related to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination, as his condition may have worsened since the last evaluation. The Veteran also needs to provide records from his physical therapy and any other relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hypertension, left acromioclavicular joint separation, and lumbosacral disc syndrome were denied. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected sleep apnea contributed to his death, and thus grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with central disc protrusion at L4-L5 has been manifested by forward flexion limited to 80 degrees, without any incapacitating episodes within the past year and no ankylosis. The current rating of 10 percent is appropriate given these findings.