The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as service-connected due to exposure to burn pits during service.,Service connection for the right foot disability (pes planus and degenerative joint disease) is granted as secondary to his service-connected left foot disability.,Service connection for a left shoulder disability, claimed as secondary to service-connected left ankle and/or left foot disabilities, is denied due to lack of evidence supporting such a link.,Service connection for a right leg disorder, claimed as secondary to service-connected left ankle disability, is denied.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions consistently found no direct or proximate relationship between the Veteran's current conditions and his service-connected disabilities, particularly in cases where the evidence did not support a biomechanical process from the lower extremities to the shoulder or leg.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, right foot pes planus and degenerative joint disease of the subtalar joint, left shoulder labral tear
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20012654
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 20012654.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a direct relationship to service or toxic exposure. The Veteran's claims were based on his participation in TERA activities during service.
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