The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to a back disability and an earlier effective date of April 27, 2023, for right ankle pain. The claim for a higher rating for GERD was denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection for sleep apnea was granted based on the weight gain caused by the service-connected back disability, which in turn led to the development of sleep apnea. An earlier effective date was granted due to continuous pursuit of the right ankle pain claim through a supplemental claim form. The GERD rating was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Right Ankle Pain, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25027624
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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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