The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, acromioclavicular (AC) joint osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis, overuse syndrome, and pulmonary disorder, to include asthma and pulmonary diffusion defect, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with panic attacks. The Board also granted special monthly compensation from August 13, 2019.
The deciding factor: The evidence was at least evenly balanced as to whether each condition was caused by the service-connected PTSD or left shoulder disability, and reasonable doubt was resolved in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Right Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tendonitis, Acromioclavicular (AC) Joint Osteoarthritis, Degenerative Arthritis, Overuse Syndrome, Pulmonary Disorder, to include Asthma and Pulmonary Diffusion Defect
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 24, 2024
- Citation
- A24068469
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximated those associated with a 50 percent rating.
- Partly granted
The appeal for entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted, while other appeals were dismissed as untimely and remanded for further action on essential tremors.
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