The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that her service-connected PTSD and/or back disability did not cause her obesity, which is necessary to establish secondary service connection. The VA examiners provided more persuasive opinions than the private examiner.
The deciding factor: VA examiners found that the Veteran's obesity was not caused by her service-connected PTSD and/or back disability, thus failing the 'intermediate step' requirement for secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Back Disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2024
- Citation
- A24038651
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 A24038651.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected left knee and left ankle conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected other specified insomnia disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 27, 2019 for the grant of service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no earlier claim document in the claims file and the Veteran did not timely perfect an appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and heart disability, including coronary artery disease, as these conditions are found to be proximately due to or the result of the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
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