The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's CAD and hypertension are granted as service-connected due to in-service exposure to herbicide agents.,The Veteran's Barrett’s esophagus and mild gastritis (GERD) are denied as not related to his military service.,Right knee disability is reopened, with the claim for service connection being granted.
The deciding factor: Service connection is established based on a longitudinal review of the record showing current diagnoses and in-service history supporting the condition.,The Veteran's CAD and hypertension are presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service. The evidence supports this presumption, including recent post-service diagnosis and medical opinion linking it to service.,There is no credible evidence that the Veteran’s Barrett’s esophagus and mild gastritis began in or was related to his military service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a link between these conditions and service.,The new evidence submitted since the 2009 denial links the current right knee disability to service, including documented injuries during active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, Barrett’s esophagus and mild gastritis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19183238
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
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