The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder is denied due to lack of evidence supporting such a condition during or after his military service.,Service connection for lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease was granted, but an initial disability rating higher than 10 percent prior to May 21, 2013 is not warranted based on the evidence provided.,Service connection for left knee medial meniscus tear with MCL bursitis was granted, but a higher initial disability rating than 10 percent is not supported by the evidence.,Service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, arising from lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease, was granted. However, an earlier effective date of October 8, 2014, is not warranted.

The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of sleep apnea and there are no service or post-service records indicating such a condition.,There is no evidence of a right knee disorder during the Veteran's military service or in his post-service treatment records.,While lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease was granted, the evidence does not support an initial rating higher than 10 percent prior to May 21, 2013 as there is no indication of incapacitating episodes or ankylosis.,The Veteran's left knee medial meniscus tear with MCL bursitis has been diagnosed but the evidence does not support a higher initial disability rating due to lack of specific findings indicating more severe symptoms.,Service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, was granted based on lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease. However, an earlier effective date is not supported as there is no indication that the Veteran's entitlement arose prior to October 8, 2014.

Claimed conditions

sleep apnea, right knee disorder, lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease, left knee medial meniscus tear with MCL bursitis, left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

November 2, 2018

Citation

18147166

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 18147166.