Sleep apnea Board decisions

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred during his December 4 to December 6, 1996 hospitalization at Saint Agnes Medical Center were granted as he had a permanent total compensation rating due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's sleep apnea had its onset during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for left sacroiliac strain, effective May 18, 1995.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbosacral strain and dismissed the veteran's appeal regarding increased ratings for his left knee disorder and residuals of a presumed spider bite to the left hand.

The appellant has withdrawn her claims for a higher disability rating for dysthymic disorder and service connection for bulimia nervosa. Her claim of entitlement to service connection for a dental disorder is well-grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis, myopia and amblyopia, and a back disorder are not well grounded. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased disability evaluation and temporary total ratings due to lack of treatment of a service-connected disability during his hospitalization.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and microscopic polyarteritis nodosa, finding that there was no reasonable possibility that these conditions were related to his military service or exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board has granted increased disability ratings of 10 percent for the veteran's right knee disability and lumbosacral strain, effective March 16, 1998.

The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sleep apnea, and coronary artery disease are not well grounded.

The veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain and post-traumatic stress disorder are currently evaluated, but the multiple scars of the face and neck do not warrant a compensable evaluation. The veteran is denied an increased rating for his lumbosacral strain and a compensable evaluation for his facial scars. His claim for individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was also denied as his disabilities do not preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the appellant's burial expenses are deductible from her countable income, and she is entitled to special monthly death pension based on need for aid and attendance.

The VA has determined that the appellant's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's low back disability, manifested by severe recurring attacks of intervertebral disc syndrome, is rated at 40 percent under the criteria for degenerative disc disease and intervertebral disc syndrome. The RO has determined that this level of impairment warrants a higher evaluation than the current 20 percent rating.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lumbosacral spine disorder was denied by the RO in May 1998, as he had already been granted service connection and a noncompensable disability rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic lumbosacral spine disability and peptic ulcer disease are service-connected, with a rating of 20% for the lumbosacral spine disability.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for PTSD, residuals of neck injury, and increased evaluation for lumbosacral strain were not well grounded. The evidence did not support a diagnosis of PTSD or establish service connection for the neck injury or lumbosacral strain.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine and major depressive disorder are not well grounded.

The veteran's service-connected myofascial syndrome of the lumbosacral spine and headache do not constitute an employment handicap, thus he does not meet the eligibility requirement for vocational rehabilitation training under Chapter 31.

The Board found that the veteran's current back disability, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine and possible demyelinating disease, is not related to his service due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between his in-service strain and his current condition.