The appeal of the issue of an increased rating for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine is dismissed.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish a service connection for his obstructive sleep apnea, as there was no in-service diagnosis and no medical opinion linking it to service or any other condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, Obstructive sleep apnea, Degenerative joint disease of the right knee, Headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19126390
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, headaches, a back disability, heart disability, and residuals of a stroke, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service or caused by his service-connected left ear disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, chronic rhinitis, and obstructive sleep apnea. The headache claim was remanded for further examination.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal in September 2025, stating that she is now 100% permanently and totally disabled effective April 29, 2025.
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