The Board granted service connection for an adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral degenerative arthritis and disc disease, and also granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to the same disabilities.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted based on a private medical opinion that linked both conditions to the Veteran's service-connected back disability via obesity as an intermediate step.
- Claimed conditions
- Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Mood, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- June 4, 2025
- Citation
- A25049514
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 70 percent disability rating for the veteran's adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea as it requires further development and evidence.
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