The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain with narrowing L4-L5 disc space, radiculopathy sciatic nerve, gastroesophageal reflux disorder, and rhinitis are found to have caused or aggravated the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). As a result, the Board has granted service connection for OSA as secondary to these conditions.
The deciding factor: The lumbosacral strain with narrowing L4-L5 disc space, radiculopathy sciatic nerve, gastroesophageal reflux disorder, and rhinitis are found to have caused or aggravated the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), lumbosacral strain with narrowing L4-L5 disc space, radiculopathy sciatic nerve, gastroesophageal reflux disorder, rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2024
- Citation
- A24085676
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 A24085676.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
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