The Veteran's sleep apnea, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and left foot plantar fasciitis are granted service connection. The Veteran's sinusitis is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition. Service connection for gastrointestinal disorder (IBS) and muscle and joint pain due to service in Southwest Asia is remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports a finding that the Veteran experienced symptoms of sleep apnea during service, which he continues to experience post-service. The sinusitis claim lacks current medical diagnosis. The Veteran's left foot plantar fasciitis was found to have worsened as of November 23, 2016, within one year of his initial claim date.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, sinusitis, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), gastrointestinal disorder (IBS), muscle and joint pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160224
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (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 19160224.
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 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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