The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including sleep apnea/sleep disordered breathing (SDB), erectile dysfunction, inflammatory enthesopathy as a qualifying chronic disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317, and various musculoskeletal conditions affecting the Veteran's hips, knees, hands, shoulders, and feet.
The deciding factor: The June 2021 opinion from J.F., M.D., established that obesity related to a service-connected disability served as an intermediate step in the development of sleep apnea/SDB and erectile dysfunction. Inflammatory enthesopathy was also found to be a qualifying chronic disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317, presumed to result from Persian Gulf service.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea/sleep disordered breathing (SDB), erectile dysfunction, inflammatory enthesopathy as a qualifying chronic disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left hand disability, to include arthritis, left shoulder disability, to include arthritis, right shoulder disability, to include arthritis, left foot disability, to include arthritis, right foot disability, to include arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25052507
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding its etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
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