The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea, vertigo, and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, as there was no evidence of onset in service or a relationship to service.
The deciding factor: The claims were denied due to the lack of evidence supporting an onset during service or a relationship to service for each condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Vertigo, Cervical Spine Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Left Elbow Disability, Right Elbow Disability, Left Wrist Disability, Right Wrist Disability, Left Hip Disability, Right Hip Disability, Left Knee Disability, Right Knee Disability, Left Ankle Disability, Right Ankle Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25025276
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claims for urinary frequency disability and residuals of a cholecystectomy were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70% rating for PTSD from November 25, 2015 to August 12, 2024 and a 40% rating for the right shoulder disability. It also granted 10% ratings for both feet and 20% ratings for knee patellofemoral pain syndromes.
- 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.
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