The Veteran's depressive disorder and sleep apnea as secondary to depressive disorder are granted service connection. Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, arthritis of the knees, ankles, hips, and fingers, Hepatitis C, or a heart disability is denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports service connection for depressive disorder and sleep apnea as secondary to depressive disorder, but does not support service connection for other conditions listed.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Disorder, Sleep Apnea, Degenerative Arthritis of Lumbar Spine, Arthritis of Knees, Ankles, Hips and Fingers, Hepatitis C, Heart Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- October 26, 2021
- Citation
- 21065604
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 21065604.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis, Barrett's esophagus, and obstructive sleep apnea but dismissed the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new VA addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's liver cancer and hepatitis C are related to his active service, including exposure to agent orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial increased rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability from March 8, 2010, to May 19, 2014, and denied a higher rating thereafter.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, with effective dates from March 15, 2013. The Board also granted a TDIU and DEA based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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