The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 5, 2022 for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) disability, secondary to the service-connected rhinitis disability.
The deciding factor: The Board concluded that the Veteran did not continuously pursue his claim from November 2017 and thus the date of claim is January 5, 2022, which was when he properly filed a supplemental claim for service connection on the proper form.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) disability, secondary to the service-connected rhinitis disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2025
- Citation
- A25034760
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea, as the issue was fully granted by the AOJ with an effective date of August 26, 2019.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the claims for service connection for back injury, obstructive sleep apnea, and tinnitus disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
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