The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability and depressive disorder. The lumbar spine, bilateral hip, and bilateral knee disabilities are denied due to lack of evidence linking them to service.

The deciding factor: The April 2019 private physician opined that the Veteran’s depressive disorder and pain from his left shoulder aided in the development and permanently aggravated his obstructive sleep apnea. The November 2018 VA examiner found no current right knee disability, and concluded that the hip conditions are due to his back condition with bilateral radicular pain.

Claimed conditions

{"condition_name":"Sleep Apnea","claimed_conditions":["Obstructive Sleep Apnea"]}, {"condition_name":"Lumbar Spine Disability","claimed_conditions":["Degenerative Arthritis","Lumbosacral Strain"]}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral Hip Disabilities","claimed_conditions":["Right Hip Strain","Left Snapping Hip Syndrome"]}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral Knee Disabilities","claimed_conditions":["Chondromalacia Patella","Meniscitis of the Left Knee","Right Knee Condition (not diagnosed)"]}

How they argued it

Not specified

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

20%

Decision date

August 5, 2019

Citation

19160556

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 19160556.