The Board dismissed the claims for service connection and denied increased ratings, as there was no evidence supporting a diagnosis of TBI, adiposity-based chronic disease, or carpal tunnel syndrome related to service. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea was dismissed due to a previous grant of service connection.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support the presence of a current disability for any of the claimed conditions, and thus, service connection could not be established.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), adiposity-based chronic disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, left knee strain with osteoarthritis, bilateral pes planus, to include foot cramps and calcaneal spurs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2025
- Citation
- A25036526
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error.
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