The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea syndromes was denied due to lack of nexus. The VA granted an initial rating of 50 percent for unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder and adjustment disorder, but denied a higher rating and effective dates for the disorders.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a direct link between service and sleep apnea syndromes, but provided sufficient evidence to reopen the claim on new material evidence. The psychiatric symptoms resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea syndromes, unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder and adjustment disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- February 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19108235
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 19108235.
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.
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The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding diabetes mellitus type II and sleep apnea syndromes, thus the cases are dismissed.
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The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for sleep apnea syndromes, and the Board dismissed it.
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The Veteran's appeal for service connection on the stomach condition and readjudication of left leg, right leg neuropathy, and sleep apnea syndromes claims has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals regarding hearing loss, tinnitus (claimed as ringing of ears), sleep apnea syndromes, and insomnia due to untimeliness. The Veteran filed a Notice of Disagreement on September 26, 2025, more than one year after receiving notification of the rating decision.
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