The Veteran's upper respiratory disability, including sinusitis and allergic rhinitis, is considered service-connected.,Obstructive sleep apnea is found to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD and upper respiratory disabilities.,Hypertension is also found to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD and obstructive sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the current upper respiratory disability was incurred during active duty, supported by STRs showing treatment for sinus issues in service. The private doctor's opinion corroborated this finding.,The VA clinician opined that PTSD and frontal sinus condition are listed causes of sleep apnea, while the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is diagnosed after service. The private doctor attributed his sleep apnea to episodes of sinusitis aggravating CPAP use needed for treatment.,The VA examiner found no evidence linking hypertension to service-connected disabilities, but noted that the Veteran has a history of hypertension prior to service and it could be multifactorial including essential hypertension and sleep apnea. The private doctor attributed his hypertension to PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- upper respiratory disability, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21067028
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 21067028.
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 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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