The Board has granted service connection for a sleep disorder, including Parkinson's disease, obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, convulsive tic (tremors), and restless leg syndrome, as due to service-connected other specified trauma and stressor related disorder with major depressive disorder. The decision also vacated the portion of the July 2021 Board decision that found the Board did not have jurisdiction to adjudicate service connection for Parkinson's disease.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tremors are attributed to his Parkinson's disease, which is a symptom of his sleep disorder. As such, the claim was expanded to include Parkinson's disease based on Clemons v. Shinseki (2009). The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's sleep disorder is at least as likely as not aggravated by his other specified trauma and stressor related disorder with major depressive disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, convulsive tic (tremors), restless leg syndrome, Parkinson's disease
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 2, 2022
- Citation
- 22011864
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 22011864.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a direct relationship to service or toxic exposure. The Veteran's claims were based on his participation in TERA activities during service.
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