The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disorder, including obstructive sleep apnea, as it is not shown to be directly related to his military service or secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence of a current diagnosis of a sleep disorder or obstructive sleep apnea until decades after the veteran's discharge from active duty. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the veteran has a separate and distinct sleep disorder caused by his service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 28, 2006
- Citation
- 0608873
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including GERD, chronic kidney disease, COPD, a heart condition, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, as additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemical agents during his service.
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