The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea as there was no evidence of a respiratory injury, disease, or symptoms during service and the condition was not shown until many years after service.
The deciding factor: The persuasive weight of the evidence is against finding that sleep apnea was etiologically related to service due to the lack of in-service symptoms and the long gap between service and diagnosis.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea (also claimed as respiratory condition)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2025
- Citation
- A25032750
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 tinnitus and remanded the claims for service connection for various other conditions, as well as increased rating claims.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
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