The Veteran's increased rating claims for sleep apnea, PTSD including depression, and GERD have been denied. The Veteran was not granted any increase in ratings during the period of appeal.,For the period prior to April 3, 2015, the Veteran’s sleep apnea did not require a breathing assistance device such as CPAP, thus preventing him from receiving a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran's sleep apnea required the use of a breathing assistance device such as a CPAP machine until April 3, 2015. Therefore, he did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 6847.,For PTSD including depression, the evidence showed reduced reliability and productivity but did not reach the level required for a 50% or higher rating as per the criteria in the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including depression, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20036426
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 20036426.
What this means for you
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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 sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
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