The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his sleep apnea and psychiatric conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantial gainful occupation since October 1, 2010.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s multiple service-connected disabilities, particularly his severe abdominal pain and anxiety disorders, have made it impossible for him to maintain employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Central Sleep Apnea, Somatic Symptom Disorder with Anxiety Disorder, Residuals of Multiple Herniorrhaphies and Malrotations Repair with Adhesions and Abdominal Pain, Status Post Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of the Left Scaphoid, Postoperative Scar, Midline, Abdomen
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- October 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20069377
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (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 20069377.
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 remands all issues on appeal for further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions and ensuring compliance with prior remand directives.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of central sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected coronary artery disease.
- Denied
The Veteran's sleep apnea syndromes, initially diagnosed as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), were aggravated by his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, causing central sleep apnea. The disability is currently rated at 50% due to the need for a CPAP machine, but no higher rating is warranted.
- Partly granted
The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for sleep apnea (obstructive, central, mixed) due to new evidence submitted. However, it is denied as the condition did not have its onset during service or within one year of service and is not otherwise causally related to service.
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