The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, to include as secondary to PTSD and/or bilateral knee conditions, was denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim.,Service connection for hypertension was also denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided an opinion that there is no etiological link between the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and his service-connected PTSD or bilateral knee conditions, as well as obesity caused by musculoskeletal problems. The Board found these opinions more probative than the Veteran's lay assertions.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, bilateral foot pain and numbness
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20078263
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 20078263.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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