The Board has granted service connection for depression and obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected status-post pilonidal cyst with open scar. The Veteran also received an increased rating of 20% for his status-post pilonidal cyst with open scar.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s service-connected status-post pilonidal cyst with open scar aggravated his depression, which in turn caused his obstructive sleep apnea and led to a painful and unstable scar. The Board granted service connection based on this causal relationship.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, obstructive sleep apnea, status-post pilonidal cyst with open scar
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2018
- Citation
- 18102643
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18102643.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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 obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
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