The appeal for restoration of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is dismissed as the claim has been fully granted, and the appeal for service connection for sleep apnea is denied due to a lack of evidence supporting a causal relationship between the condition and active service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence establishing a direct causal relationship between the Veteran's sleep apnea and his in-service complaints or events. The weight gain, which the examiner attributed to obesity, was not shown to be caused by any of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25044914
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding a causal relationship between the condition and an in-service incident of military sexual trauma (MST).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a low back disability, residuals of a right foot injury, sinusitis, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis, and sleep apnea as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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