The Veteran's OSA was granted service connection as it began during active duty.,Service connection for his back disability is granted, with the onset likely occurring in service or due to a pre-existing condition.,Service connection for his neck disorder is denied; the evidence does not support an in-service onset or line-of-duty injury.,The right wrist ganglion cyst claim was denied as there is no evidence of its onset during active duty.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's OSA began during service and was supported by a diagnosis from October 2021, resolving doubt in his favor.,The VA examiner found the back disability likely related to service due to symptoms dating back to 2008 and an in-service referral for a sleep study.,The VA examiner concluded that the neck disorder is not related to service as there was no documented onset or line-of-duty injury, and the Veteran did not serve during the relevant period of ACDUTRA.,There was no evidence of the right wrist ganglion cyst during active duty, leading to denial of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Spinal Stenosis, Ankylosing Spondylitis (Back Disability), Neck Disorder, Right Wrist Ganglion Cyst
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2026
- Citation
- A26005417
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 A26005417.
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
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