The Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea was granted. His heart murmur and aortic valve replacement were rated at 60 percent, effective from January 9, 2017. The Veteran's hypertension was denied as compensable, while his kidney disease with hypertension was denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had obstructive sleep apnea that began during service and granted service connection for it. For his heart condition, the Board noted that he did not have congestive heart failure or a workload of less than three METs, which would warrant a higher rating. His hypertension was denied as compensable but rated at 60 percent due to kidney disease with hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, heart murmur, aortic valve replacement, hypertension, kidney disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- April 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19127972
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (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 19127972.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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