The Veteran's sleep apnea is not service-connected and is not caused or aggravated by her service-connected lymphedema or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).,Since June 5, 2015, the Veteran has a left leg disability rated at 20 percent. The right leg disability remains rated at 20 percent.,The Veteran's undiagnosed illness is not rated in excess of 10 percent as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran’s sleep apnea is related to service or caused by her service-connected lymphedema or GERD. The VA examiners found no causal relationship between these conditions.,For the left leg, the medical records show persistent edema but it was relieved by elevation of the extremity prior to June 5, 2015. After this date, the Veteran’s condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there were no signs of ulceration or severe swelling.,For the right leg, the medical records showed similar manifestations to the left leg and thus warranted a 20 percent rating from June 5, 2015. No higher rating was granted due to lack of evidence of more severe symptoms.,The Veteran's undiagnosed illness did not meet the criteria for a higher than 10 percent rating as her symptoms were intermittent and did not restrict routine daily activities or result in periods of incapacitation.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, left leg disability (lymphedema), right leg disability (lymphedema with venous insufficiency, status-post greater saphenous vein stripping), undiagnosed illness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 7, 2018
- Citation
- 18148459
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 18148459.
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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 sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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