The Board denied service connection for a sleep disorder to include obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a direct link between the condition and the Veteran's military service or his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities.
The deciding factor: The February 2024 VA examiner opined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is less likely than not proximately due to or the result of his service connected disabilities, as there was no evidence demonstrating a pathophysiological/biomechanical mechanism by which shoulder conditions, lumbar conditions, knee conditions, anorectal conditions and kidney conditions cause anatomical constriction/physical obstruction of the upper airway leading to poor oxygenation during sleep. The examiner also noted that the Veteran's obesity and narrow crowded oropharynx are major risk factors in the development of obstructive sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep disorder to include obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25107161
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,432 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25107161.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence in some cases, and a new VA examination is needed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection and rating for various conditions, including left knee disorder to include degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine disorder, right hip disorder, left hip disorder, left Achilles tendon disorder, psychiatric disorder, hypertension, sleep disorder, headache disorder, and tinnitus. Additional relevant service treatment records have been received.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea, but the issues of service connection for hyperlipidemia, ear disorder to include vertigo, acquired psychiatric disorder to include a compulsive disorder and depression have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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