The Board has determined that the Veteran's back and left hip disabilities are not service-connected, as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.,Regarding the breathing disability (including a nasal disability, sinus disability, and COPD), the Board found insufficient evidence to establish a direct link between the condition and service. However, it granted secondary service connection for sleep apnea due to PTSD, finding that the Veteran's PTSD likely aggravated his pre-existing sleep apnea.,The Board also granted secondary service connection for GERD, attributing its onset or exacerbation to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a direct link between the claimed conditions and active military service. However, it found that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD likely aggravated his pre-existing sleep apnea and GERD.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, left hip disability, breathing disability (including a nasal disability, sinus disability, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19160264
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (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 19160264.
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.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for a back disability, endometriosis, thyroid condition, and chronic fatigue syndrome due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial. The claims are now considered on their merits.
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