The Board denied service connection for a sleep disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support the claim.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions indicated that the Veteran's insomnia was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and were more likely due to other conditions such as Marfan’s syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and psychogenic etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep disorder, degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20073183
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 appeal for service connection for allergic rhinitis and lumbosacral or cervical strain was dismissed due to untimeliness, while the other issues were remanded for further evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of service connection for a sleep disorder and entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for chronic obstipation (constipation) for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a sleep disorder, and hypertension. The claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral hearing loss was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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