The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, due to a Gulf War illness, is denied as there is no evidence of an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness. The right shoulder disability and high blood pressure are granted but the right shoulder disability is remanded.,Service connection for the right shoulder disability is granted based on direct service connection. Service connection for high blood pressure secondary to PTSD is also granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a clinical diagnosis of sleep apnea, and there is no indication that it was incurred during active duty or due to an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness. The right shoulder disability is considered direct service connection as the Veteran's former fellow servicemember observed him experiencing shoulder pain related to his duties.,Service connection for high blood pressure secondary to PTSD is granted based on a showing of continuity of symptomatology and medical nexus.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, right shoulder disability, high blood pressure
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2023
- Citation
- 23050734
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 23050734.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- 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.
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