The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for sleep apnea is dismissed. A 60 percent rating for brachio-radial pruritus/urticaria is granted subject to the laws and regulations governing the award of monetary benefits. The claims for service connection for left ankle, elbow, and hand disabilities are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the increased rating for sleep apnea during a hearing before the Board. The claim for brachio-radial pruritus/urticaria is granted with a 60 percent rating under old criteria due to recurrent debilitating episodes despite continuous immunosuppressive therapy (Gabapentin). The claims for service connection are remanded as there is uncertainty about whether the joint pain represents undiagnosed illnesses or other conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Brachio-radial pruritus/urticaria, Left ankle disability (claimed as painful joints), Left elbow disability (claimed as painful joints), Right elbow disability (claimed as painful joints), Right-hand disability (claimed as painful joints), Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- December 7, 2020
- Citation
- A20018020
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,329 · Granted: 31% (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 A20018020.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's asthma is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim has been remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection claims have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for PTSD, denied service connection for CFS, mast cell activation syndrome, and sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD, and remanded TDIU.
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