The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine and left knee disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected pes planus disability, sleep apnea syndrome, and hypertension. All conditions are found to be related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided a positive nexus opinion linking the Veteran’s lumbar spine and left knee disabilities to his service-connected pes planus disability. The September 2016 DBQ physician opined that it was more likely than not that the Veteran's sleep apnea was related to his military service, supported by lay statements from individuals who served with him. Hypertension is presumed to have been incurred in service as it manifested within one year of discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, left knee disability, lumbar spine disability, sleep apnea syndrome
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166649
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,272 · Granted: 31% (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 19166649.
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
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