The veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to bipolar disorder was granted. The veteran's request for an increased rating for right foot scars was also granted, but the claim for an increased rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis with left plantar calcaneal spur was remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea was caused by service-connected bipolar disorder and gave the benefit of the doubt to the claimant. For the scars, the Board resolved reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, finding that his competent and credible statement was sufficient to establish that his two scars are painful.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, right foot scars
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25004968
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