The Board has granted effective dates of March 1, 2012 for the service connection of various disabilities including obstructive sleep apnea, neck disability, back disability, and bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim was received on February 28, 2013, which is exactly one year after his separation from service. The Board found the evidence to be in equipoise regarding when the claim was actually submitted, leading to a finding that it should correspond with the day following the Veteran’s separation from active service—specifically, March 1, 2012.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) of the cervical spine with degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease (neck disability), IVDS of the thoracolumbar spine (back disability), left upper extremity radiculopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), right upper extremity radiculopathy and CTS, left lower extremity radiculopathy associated with a back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy associated with a back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20047057
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 20047057.
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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