The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for pulmonary sarcoidosis and service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected pulmonary sarcoidosis have been denied. The Board found that the current ratings were not warranted, and there was no medical evidence or opinion linking the Veteran's sleep disorder to his service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not diagnose sleep apnea and provided a negative etiology opinion based on lack of objective evidence of diagnosis of sleep apnea. The Board also found that there is no competent, probative evidence suggesting a medical nexus between any diagnosed sleep disorder or impairment and the Veteran's service-connected pulmonary sarcoidosis.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary sarcoidosis, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19167163
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,196 · Granted: 17% (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 19167163.
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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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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