The Veteran's OSA is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The right knee replacement rating is granted at 60%. The hypertension claim is denied. The left upper anterior chest costochondritis (chest pain) claim is granted with a 10% rating. The PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder claim results in an initial 50% rating and TDIU is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports that the Veteran's OSA is secondary to his service-connected PTSD, resulting in a grant of service connection for OSA. The right knee replacement has chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion or weakness, warranting a 60% rating. The hypertension does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Right Knee Replacement, Left Upper Anterior Chest Costochondritis (claimed as chest pain), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with unspecified depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- October 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20067521
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20067521.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for vertigo and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's hearing loss is not rated higher than 10 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for OSA and insomnia must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and opinions, as well as a failure to obtain TERA opinions on all relevant exposures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and a separate rating for chronic pulmonary embolism due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder is rated at 50 percent, and the Board has remanded for further development to determine if a higher rating is warranted.
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