The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's obesity, caused by his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities, was a substantial factor in causing the claimed secondary disability.
The deciding factor: The private examiner concluded it was at least as likely as not that the Veteran's sleep apnea was secondary to and aggravated by the weight gain and obesity caused by his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 22, 2025
- Citation
- A25036513
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claims for urinary frequency disability and residuals of a cholecystectomy were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial increased rating for diabetes mellitus type II and remanded the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, right shoulder strain with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and tendinitis, cervical spine spondylosis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, and thoracolumbar scoliosis and lumbar spine degenerative changes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea as it requires further development and evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), to include as secondary to GERD, for further development and a new VA medical opinion.
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