The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), finding that there was no causal relationship between these conditions and his active duty service or any service-connected disabilities.,Both the VA examiner in October 2019 and the addendum examiner in May 2020 provided negative opinions regarding both direct service connection and secondary service connection for sleep apnea and GERD.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between the Veteran's sleep apnea or GERD and his active duty service, nor any service-connected disabilities. The VA examiners provided negative opinions based on pathophysiological differences between sinusitis/sleep apnea and GERD/depression.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Sleep Apnea","diagnosis_date":null,"current_diagnosis":true}, {"condition_name":"Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)","diagnosis_date":null,"current_diagnosis":true}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20066082
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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