The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service or service-connected conditions. The Veteran's claim for lumbar retrolisthesis and arthritis of the cervical spine was also remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.,For lumbar retrolisthesis and arthritis of the cervical spine, the Board found that there is no evidence of injury during service, leading to a denial of these claims.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that sleep apnea was related to service or service-connected conditions. The VA examiners provided negative opinions regarding the relationship between lumbar retrolisthesis and arthritis of the cervical spine with service, service-connected TBI, or any other condition.,There is no evidence of injury during service for lumbar retrolisthesis and arthritis of the cervical spine, leading to a denial of these claims.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"sleep apnea","secondary_to":["PTSD","TBI"]}, {"condition_name":"lumbar retrolisthesis","secondary_to":["service-connected TBI"],"related_to_service":true}, {"condition_name":"arthritis of the cervical spine","secondary_to":["service-connected TBI"],"related_to_service":true}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19163484
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 19163484.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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