The Veteran's claim for service connection for insomnia is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a nexus between his in-service treatment for insomnia and any current insomnia.,Service connection for OSA as secondary to a service-connected disability, specifically insomnia, is also denied. The Veteran's post-service medical records do not provide a positive nexus regarding the onset or relationship of his current OSA to military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has not provided competent evidence in support of a nexus between his military service and his current insomnia, as he was misdiagnosed with insomnia during service. The passage of many years between service discharge and medical documentation of the claimed disability tends to weigh against a finding that the disability is related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19188837
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 19188837.
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 Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on the Veteran's exposure to in-service chemical agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to fibromyalgia due to a need for additional medical evidence.
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