The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial disability rating for broken fingers of the left hand was withdrawn and dismissed.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted, with onset during active service.,Service connection for a respiratory disability (dry throat and sinus problems) is denied as there is no evidence of such condition during service or otherwise related to service.,Service connection for tension headaches is denied due to lack of chronicity in service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his claim for a compensable initial disability rating for broken fingers (3rd, 4th, and 5th digits) of the left hand prior to the Board's decision.,Obstructive sleep apnea had its onset during active service and is not otherwise related to service. The preponderance of evidence supports this finding.,There was no chronic respiratory disability documented in service, and the Veteran’s current condition does not meet the criteria for a chronic disability. Therefore, service connection cannot be granted.,The Veteran's tension headaches are not shown to have had their onset during active service or otherwise related to service. The preponderance of evidence supports this finding.
- Claimed conditions
- broken fingers (3rd, 4th, and 5th digits) of the left hand, obstructive sleep apnea, dry throat and sinus problems, tension headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19165634
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (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 19165634.
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 obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
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