The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to her service-connected Persistent Depressive Disorder and Lumbar Strain with Degenerative Disc Disease, finding that obesity resulting from these conditions caused or aggravated her sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence is in approximate balance regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected Persistent Depressive Disorder and Lumbar Strain with Degenerative Disc Disease caused or aggravated her obesity, which in turn caused her sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- Persistent Depressive Disorder, Lumbar Strain with Degenerative Disc Disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2024
- Citation
- A24046282
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 A24046282.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress was granted, effective January 17, 2024. The Board has now granted an earlier effective date of May 31, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's persistent depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, the highest available rating under the General Formula for Mental Disorders. The other issues have been denied.
- Dismissed
Your previously granted service-connected acquired psychiatric disability, characterized as PTSD with persistent depressive and insomnia disorder, now represents a full grant of the benefit sought on appeal. The appeal is dismissed.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of persistent depressive disorder was denied as the earliest date of claim is January 29, 2010.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his persistent depressive disorder was also denied. The current assigned rating of 70 percent has been in effect since at least December 2012.
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