The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, neuropathy of the right and left ankles (internal popliteal and saphenous nerves), and special monthly compensation based on housebound criteria, with an effective date of May 16, 2022. The claims for earlier effective dates were denied.
The deciding factor: The Board granted service connection based on direct causation due to in-service exposure to toxins, as supported by medical evidence and VA opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, neuropathy of the right ankle, internal popliteal nerve, neuropathy of the left ankle, internal popliteal nerve, neuropathy of the right ankle, internal saphenous nerve, neuropathy of the left ankle, internal saphenous nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 31, 2025
- Citation
- A25029202
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 845 · Granted: 39% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25029202.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a direct relationship to service or toxic exposure. The Veteran's claims were based on his participation in TERA activities during service.
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