The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of an unspecified respiratory condition, and the Veteran's statements regarding such a disability are not competent evidence. For sleep apnea, the VA examiner opined against a nexus to service based on lack of in-service treatment or diagnosis. For hypertension, the VA examiner also opined against a nexus to service based on lack of in-service treatment or diagnosis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided opinions that there was no evidence of any chronic respiratory condition during service and no post-service medical records linking the current conditions to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Unspecified Respiratory Condition, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2016
- Citation
- 1610912
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 1610912.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected left knee and left ankle conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected other specified insomnia disorder.
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