The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that his current diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea is not related to active duty service or any other in-service injury, event, or disease. The Board also found that obesity, which the Veteran contends was caused by his service-connected disabilities, did not serve as an intermediate step between his service-connected disabilities and his sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions were more probative than those of the private physicians due to their consideration of the most common causes of obesity and the physiological mechanisms involved in its development. The Veteran was unable to perform alternative exercise programs or adjust his calorie intake as a result of his service-connected disabilities, thus obesity did not serve as an intermediate step between his service-connected disabilities and sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 10, 2022
- Citation
- 22027369
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 22027369.
What this means for you
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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 sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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