The Veteran's sleep apnea was not shown in service, nor is it otherwise related to service.,The Veteran’s hypertension was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period; continuity of symptomatology is not established; and the disability is not otherwise related to service.,The Veteran’s congestive heart failure was not shown in service or within the applicable presumptive period, nor is it otherwise related to service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence indicating that the current sleep apnea may be associated with service. The earliest relevant medical evidence of record indicating the presence of sleep apnea is in 2016, over 20 years after separation from service.,The Veteran’s STRs show his systolic blood pressure to be raised at dental appointment in September 1991, and he was referred for serial blood pressure testing which did not reveal any hypertension. The rest of the STRs also are silent regarding high blood pressures, and the provided medical records after service are silent for hypertension anytime soon after separation.,The Board concludes that while the Veteran has a diagnosis of congestive heart failure, the preponderance of the evidence is against finding that it began during service, within one year of separation, or is otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, hypertension, congestive heart failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20004754
Veterans Law Judge
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 20004754.
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