The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his claims for service connection for arthritis of bilateral hips and primary snoring (claimed as sleep apnea), and has also granted a rating in excess of 70 percent for his schizoaffective and anxiety disorder.
The deciding factor: New evidence was submitted that established the presence of current disabilities, which were not present at the time of the prior final denial. The Veteran's psychiatric disability now meets the criteria for a 70% rating due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of bilateral hips, primary snoring (claimed as sleep apnea), schizoaffective and anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105879
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,836 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19105879.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, arthritis of bilateral hips, and arthritis of bilateral knees. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder is being remanded due to the need for an opinion regarding whether his current back disorder is caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities, including arthritis of the bilateral knees and hips.,Service connection has been granted for PTSD.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for chronic constipation due to its aggravation by medication used to treat his service-connected disabilities. Service connection was denied for other GI disorders, arthritis of bilateral hips, and arthritis of the right shoulder.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied across the board. The Board found that none of his service-connected conditions met the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.