The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder in remission.,The Veteran's ventricular arrhythmia with implanted automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (heart disability) is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder in remission.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided a negative etiological opinion, but the Board found this inadequate due to not discussing possible aggravation by the Veteran's psychiatric disorder. The private examiner provided a positive etiological opinion citing to academic literature linking heart disabilities to PTSD and depression.,The VA examiner provided a negative etiological opinion, stating that PTSD and depression do not cause organic heart disease. However, the Board found this inadequate due to not discussing possible aggravation by the Veteran's psychiatric disorder. The private examiner provided a positive etiological opinion citing to academic literature linking heart disabilities to PTSD and depression.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, ventricular arrhythmia with implanted automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (heart disability), multiple liver nodules
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2020
- Citation
- A20018636
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 A20018636.
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 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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