The Veteran's sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected allergic rhinitis. The Board has granted this claim.
The deciding factor: Competent medical evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected allergic rhinitis.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, psychiatric disorder (claimed as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and neurobehavioral disorder, trouble sleeping, bipolar disorder, and psychiatric condition), skin condition (claimed as rosacea, malar rash, skin lesions, and dermal condition), left shoulder strain (claimed as musculoskeletal disorder, bone pain, and injury to joint), left knee chondromalacia patella (claimed as bone pain, musculoskeletal disorder, and injury to joint), right knee condition (claimed as bone pain, musculoskeletal disorder, and injury to joint), back condition (claimed as musculoskeletal disorder and joint pain), anemia associated with TCE, heel spurs associated with TCE, macular degeneration (claimed as optic nerve damage and scarring and bilateral ocular damage) with right eye macular scar, headaches (claimed as a neurological disorder), temporomandibular joint disorder associated with TCE, respiratory condition (claimed as upper respiratory disorder, left lung scarring with chronic bronchitis, shortness of breath, and COPD), optic neuropathy with damage to the optic nerve, bilateral glaucoma (claimed as a bilateral eye condition), bilateral cataracts (claimed as a bilateral eye condition), central nervous system condition (claimed as shaking), right shoulder strain (claimed as joint pain and musculoskeletal pain/disease), sinusitis, gastrointestinal condition (claimed as nausea and rapid weight loss), traumatic brain injury, chronic fatigue associated with TCE, chronic macrocytosis associated with TCE, deviated septum due to trauma to head injury (claimed as broken nose), hypertension associated with TCE, tinnitus associated with TCE, bilateral hearing loss associated with TCE exposure, oral cavity tumors associated with TCE, sinus arrhythmia (claimed as irregular heartbeat, nasal heart cavity problems, cardiac condition, chest pain, and cardiac arrhythmias) associated with TCE, plantar fasciitis associated with TCE, skin cancer of the face (claimed as tumors under the skin), nerve damage to the 5th, 7th, and 9th cranial nerves (claimed as cranial nerve damage and bell's palsy on the left side) associated with TCE, peripheral nerve disorder of the left hand (claimed as numbness in finger tips and nerve damage), peripheral nerve disorder of the left foot (claimed as nerve damage), lupus (claimed as immune system damage), muscular sclerosis associated with TCE, repetitive pharyngeal collapse due to acute ulcero-granular pharyngitis associated with TCE (claimed as pharyngeal peripheral nerve damage, grandular pharyngitis, dysphagia, and pharynx injury), service connection for residuals of bilateral basal ganglia infarction (claimed as stroke), service connection for a brain disease (claimed as white matter disease)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2015
- Citation
- 1547702
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1547702.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
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