The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disorder, including narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of such conditions during or related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran’s diagnosed atypical narcolepsy and severe obstructive sleep apnea less likely than not had its onset in or were related to active service, or manifested within one year of discharge from active service.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep disorder, narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20067343
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's effective date for the award of an 80 percent rating for narcolepsy is granted from August 11, 2015.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.