The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities, including somatic symptom disorder and related spinal conditions.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by the Veteran and other healthcare providers support a causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his development of obstructive sleep apnea due to weight gain from inactivity.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Somatic Symptom Disorder, Central Disc Protrusion of the Lumbar Spine, Radiculopathies, Right and Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy, Bilateral Shin Splints/Tibial Stress Fractures with Leg Impairment
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 20, 2024
- Citation
- A24048196
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 A24048196.
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 has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for vertigo and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's hearing loss is not rated higher than 10 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for OSA and insomnia must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and opinions, as well as a failure to obtain TERA opinions on all relevant exposures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and a separate rating for chronic pulmonary embolism due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's lay statements and medical records are considered in determining whether there is a nexus between current symptoms and service.
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