The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension, finding that the Veteran's obesity, caused by his service-connected disabilities, was a substantial factor in causing these conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's inability to exercise due to his knee and shoulder disabilities caused him to gain weight and become obese; the risk of developing sleep apnea is significantly increased by obesity; and that the Veteran's obesity caused his sleep apnea. The same factors were found to contribute to his hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25032402
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- 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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