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Denied

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the presumption of regularity regarding the February 2017 notification letter has not been rebutted and concluding that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the January 2017 rating decision.

The deciding factor: The Board found that the correct facts were considered at the time of the January 2017 rating decision, and the statutory and regulatory provisions were correctly applied. There was no CUE in the decision.

Claimed conditions
obstructive sleep apnea
How they argued it
Secondary to another service-connected condition
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
50%
Decision date
December 18, 2020
Citation
A20018866

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 A20018866.

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