The Veteran's service connection claim for a sleep disorder, including upper airway resistance syndrome and sleep apnea, is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability that manifested during active service or is otherwise causally related to his military service. The Board found the Veteran does not have a separate sleep disorder caused by his service-connected PTSD, coronary artery disease, or low back disability.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions determined that the Veteran's upper airway resistance syndrome was less likely than not caused by or permanently aggravated beyond its normal progression by his service-connected PTSD and did not find any evidence of a direct relationship between PTSD and upper airway resistance syndrome or obstructive sleep apnea. The Board found no other evidence showing that the Veteran has a sleep disorder that is caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep disorder, upper airway resistance syndrome, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19142871
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,612 · Granted: 16% (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 19142871.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- 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.
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