The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of morbid obesity, sleep apnea, atrial fibrillation with history of acute congestive heart failure, and hypertension as secondary to residuals of a left knee injury with arthritis. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence in the record showing that the Veteran's morbid obesity, sleep apnea, atrial fibrillation, or hypertension was related to his service-connected residuals of left knee injury with arthritis. The General Counsel had previously ruled that obesity is not a disease or injury for VA compensation purposes and therefore cannot be service connected.
- Claimed conditions
- Morbid Obesity, Sleep Apnea, Atrial Fibrillation with History of Acute Congestive Heart Failure, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 8, 2018
- Citation
- 1808033
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 1808033.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
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