The Veteran's service connection for sleep apnea and hypertension (HTN) have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, and MDD, warrants a disability rating of 50 percent prior to June 13, 2017.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's sleep apnea was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. The acquired psychiatric disorder has been found to cause occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty establishing and maintaining effective social relationships, and impaired impulse control based on irritable behavior and unprovoked angry outbursts.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, hypertension (HTN), anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- February 8, 2018
- Citation
- 1808319
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 1808319.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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