The Board has determined that the evidence currently of record is sufficient to substantiate the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea was incurred in service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's in-service reports of being sleepy, as well as his reported two-year period of extreme stress before his 1993 discharge, are strong indicators that the sleep apnea began in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Arthritis of the Left Fingers and Hands (previously considered as entitlement to service connection for arthritis of the fingers and hands), Bilateral Hearing Loss, Right Shoulder Osteoarthritis, Left Foot and Ankle Disorder, Prostate Cancer Residuals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 30, 2017
- Citation
- 1736258
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 1736258.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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