The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder.,Service connection for pancreatitis is denied.,Service connection for restless leg condition of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity is denied.,Service connection for tinnitus is denied.,An effective date earlier than October 14, 2016 for grant of service connection for major depressive disorder is granted.
The deciding factor: The private opinion indicated that the Veteran’s obstructive sleep apnea was caused by his service-connected major depressive disorder and medications used to treat it.,There is no evidence linking pancreatitis to active duty service.,No medical or lay statements indicate a current restless leg condition of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity related to service.,The Veteran's tinnitus was not caused by military noise exposure, as explained by the VA examiner.,Service connection for major depressive disorder is granted with an effective date of October 14, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, pancreatitis, restless leg condition of the right lower extremity, restless leg condition of the left lower extremity, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005654
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 20005654.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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