The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is aggravated by his service-connected peripheral neuropathy, and thus grants service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that sedating medications worsen sleep apnea, and the Veteran was prescribed amitriptyline for his diabetic neuropathy which can cause sedation. The increase in CPAP support from 10 to 15 also supports the aggravation of sleep apnea by the treatment for peripheral neuropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2017
- Citation
- 1722320
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 1722320.
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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