The Board found that the Veteran's current obstructive sleep apnea was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by a service-connected disability. The claim for liver disorder (including fatty liver) will be remanded as additional medical opinions are needed.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner noted that there was no evidence linking sleep apnea to service, and concluded it did not begin during or as a result of the Veteran's service. For the liver disorder, the examiner found the initial abnormal liver function tests were due to fatty liver rather than any incident in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Liver Disorder (including Fatty Liver)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2017
- Citation
- 1713734
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 1713734.
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 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and heart disability, including coronary artery disease, as these conditions are found to be proximately due to or the result of the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Neck Disability, and Bilateral Upper Extremity Radiculopathy. The decision is based on the Veteran's active service and medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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