The Veteran's chronic obstructive sleep apnea is found to have had its onset during his period of active duty, and service connection for this condition is granted.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on the Veteran’s competent and credible reports of symptoms experienced during his last period of active duty in Southwest Asia. The Board also considered evidence from the Veteran's spouse who witnessed these symptoms firsthand.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive sleep apnea, right knee disability, left knee disability, skin disability manifested by recurrent lipomas, disability manifested by chronic joint pain (claimed as pain in the feet and ankles), blood disability, functional gastrointestinal disability, respiratory disability (claimed as asthma)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19189251
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 service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee, right hip, and lumbar spine disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability but denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for his left knee disability prior to April 25, 2019.
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