The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea, lumbosacral strain, and neck disability manifested by pain. The claim of service connection for dizziness is remanded.,Service connection was established for the Veteran's sleep apnea, lumbosacral strain, and neck disability manifested by pain based on direct evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's reports of symptoms in and since separation from service were credible and competent. The VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding continuous back pain symptoms both in and since separation from service, leading to an inadequate opinion.,Service connection was granted for lumbosacral strain and neck disability manifested by pain based on the Veteran's reports of continuous symptoms since service and a diagnosis of these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, lumbosacral strain, neck disability manifested by pain, dizziness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2023
- Citation
- 23001866
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 23001866.
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 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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