The Veteran's service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis is found to aggravate his post-service obesity/weight problems, which in turn aggravates his sleep apnea. Therefore, the Board grants service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis.
The deciding factor: The March 2013 VA examiner's opinion was ambiguous and did not address the possibility that the Veteran's plantar fasciitis aggravated his obesity/weight problems which in turn aggravated his sleep apnea. The November 2009 letter from Dr. J.M., while using different language, clearly indicated it is the doctor's opinion the Veteran's plantar fasciitis aggravates his post-service obesity/weight problems that in turn aggravates his sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, obesity/weight problems
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2016
- Citation
- 1623238
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 1623238.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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