The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for insomnia is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than October 5, 2016 for the grant of service connection for insomnia is denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a higher disability rating for insomnia as it causes only mild or transient symptoms that do not significantly impair occupational and social functioning.,There was no prior claim for service connection for insomnia before October 5, 2016. The effective date is therefore denied.
- Claimed conditions
- insomnia, cervical spine surgery at level C3-C4, severe cervical stenosis, heart failure (mitral valve and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction), atriial fibrillation, right hand thumb and fingers numbness, idiopathic nerve damage, bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 3, 2018
- Citation
- 18101317
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 18101317.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection of insomnia was denied, and the effective date is set to the date of receipt of the claim (May 31, 2024).
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia and alcohol use disorder caused his sleep apnea.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the claims of entitlement to a compensable disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for anterior uveitis, right eye, and service connection for restless leg syndrome, RLE. The claim for service connection for insomnia is dismissed as moot because it was granted with an effective date based on the date of the Veteran's application.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for atrial fibrillation, benign prostatic hypertrophy with outflow obstruction, congestive heart failure, and hypertension due to inadequate VA opinions. The Veteran's exposure during service is conceded to include asbestos and gas chamber exposures.
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