The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and Meniere's disease, finding that the Veteran was exposed to toxic environmental factors during his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinion submitted by the Veteran in support of his claims is deemed probative and persuasive, outweighing the VA negative medical opinion with respect to the relationship between TERA and the Veteran's Meniere's disease. The Board finds that the evidence shows that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and Meniere's disease are due to Toxic Exposure Risk Activity (TERA) during active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, Meniere's disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2025
- Citation
- A25043813
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including GERD, chronic kidney disease, COPD, a heart condition, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, as additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemical agents during his service.
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