The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and hypertension, finding that the evidence was approximately evenly balanced.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion from Dr. D.A. provided a link between the Veteran's sleep apnea and his service-connected conditions, while the VA examiner's opinion did not provide sufficient support for their conclusion regarding obesity as the cause of sleep apnea. For hypertension, the evidence was approximately evenly balanced, leading to a grant based on reasonable doubt.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- January 16, 2024
- Citation
- 24002167
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 remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorders, lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, bilateral radiculopathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral radiculopathy and neuropathy of the lower extremities.
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