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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,963 · Granted: 32% (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 A25004968.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a direct relationship to service or toxic exposure. The Veteran's claims were based on his participation in TERA activities during service.
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